TLPL: Kingdom of Friendship: The Crystalling
by MaggiesHeartLove
Summary: One shot story of The Little Pony Legend. Two months after Starlight Glimmer's redemption, she is trying to confess her feelings to her longtime friend, Sunburst. But, when she accompanies him to see his extended father at the Crystal Empire during the Crystalling of Cadance and Shinning Armor's new baby, Starlight won't be the only one getting the cold shoulder.
1. Chapter 1

**A one shot story based on the season 6 premier. This is part of my Little Pony Legend saga, particularly "A Kingdom of Friendship" staring Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst. Enjoy!**

 _ ***(~)***_

 _ **Revelation 3:12~**_

 _"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name."_

 _*(~)*_

 **The Crystalling part 1**

"Okay. Library... Library... Where did they put the library?" Starlight Glimmer asked herself as she wandered around aimlessly through the castle hallways. She felt so small compared to the rest of the household, with its massive tall ceilings and long endless hallways with a variety of doors that all looked the same with no sign to indicate where they led. She opened the first door which she believed was the library, or would at least lead her to it. When she did, all she saw was yet another line of hallways in opposite directions. The unicorn sighed in annoyance.

"This castle looked a lot smaller from the outside." she said before closing the door and turning to open another one with her magic when she did she heard the sound of running water. Inside, Spike was brushing his teeth in front of a mirror, wearing a towel around his waist and fuzzy slippers. He turned and waved at the unicorn, his mouth covered in toothpaste, making his greeting sound muffled.

"Morning, Starlight!"

"Whoops!" Starlight Glimmer quickly shut the door and shielded her eyes. While technically Spike never did wear cloths, and he didn't appear embarrassed about seeing the unicorn, Starlight didn't like the feeling of interrupting someone while they were in the bathroom. At least she caught him brushing his teeth instead of anything else. "Sorry, Spike! I guess I'm still trying to find my way around. You don't happen to know where the library is, do you?"

Spike poked his head from the door and pointed with his toothbrush. "Next door on the left!" he said, his voice still muffled.

Starlight turned her head to the door that was right in front of her. She was already standing in front of the library this whole time. "Oh. Thanks!" using her magic, Starlight opened the door and walked right in to see Princess Twilight looking over some scrolls. Once she noticed the company, she stopped and greeted her friend.

"Starlight, good morning, come in! What brings you here? Everything alright?" Twilight asked.

It had been no more than a month or two since Starlight had reformed and joined the new Air Nation. So far, she was accustoming nicely to their ways, especially the vegetarian lifestyle. Tenzin was a wonderful teacher in regards to her new elemental powers, and of course Twilight Sparkle and Avatar Korra were tasked with teaching the pony all about friendship. Them along with the rest of Team Avatar.

In that time, Starlight also reconnected with her long lost friend, Sunburst. It was a tac rocky at first, being rather hesitant to reveal her past to him, but in time she finally was able to, and to her amazement and relief, Sunburst didn't think any less of her. If anything, it made him happier they could be friends again, realizing how much she needed it.

Sunburst had definitely grown during their time apart. He was incredibly courageous, selfless, loyal and strong-willed. He was a great influence on the unicorn.

"Yeah, everything's fine. Fantastic, even." Starlight said, in response to Twilight's previous question. Though, Twilight could tell from the tone of her voice that this was not the case.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow, which would get her to confess.

Starlight sighed before replying, "It's Sunburst."

"I thought everything was going great between you two." Twilight said, already sounding concerned.

"It is. I'm glad we could be friends again and we're getting along great. Better than ever, actually. It's just been six months now and I was, sort of, possibly considering…" the unicorn trailed off, her face tainted with purple colored blush.

Twilight Sparkle studied her body language from afar. Her lowered ears indicating shyness, rubbing leer hoof, not looking directly in someone's eye as she spoke. It didn't take much time for Twilight to connect the dots. The princess squealed with delight. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You're going to confess aren't you?!"

Starlight Glimmer's blush depend. Ever since they were foals, Starlight was always in love with Sunburst. In fact, that was why it was so incredibly hard for her when he left for Canterlot due to his parents sending him away before she could even say goodbye. During the time they had spent together, Starlight realized her feelings for her old friend had grown even stronger than before. She had long since wanted to tell him, but was scared of how it would effect their rekindled friendship.

"Well, that's the plan. I'm more nervous about it really. I mean, I've loved him for so long but…I don't know if I'll be any good at this relationship stuff. Not to mention, what he doesn't feel the same way about me?"

"What are you talking about? He's been spending practically very day with you, and me and Flash have noticed the way he looks at you." Twilight said with a wink.

"I guess. But, I'm still relearning all this friendship stuff, I don't know the first thing about romance. And, since you and Flash Sentry have been around for so long I thought, maybe…you could give me some advice?"

Twilight wrapped her hoof around her friend, smiling compassionately, "Starlight, there is only one thing you need to know when it comes to loving someone. Love is about placing another's needs before your own. It's about going the extra mile for that person, even if it means giving something up. It's about sacrifice and teamwork. But most of all, it's not about feeling butterflies in your stomach, you have to _choose_ to make those sacrifices. That's what a committed relationship is really all about but so many others forget it."

"Wow. That's…pretty deep."

"Well, I speak from experience." the princess said with a light chuckle. "Besides, you don't have to worry about him not feeling the same way, he definitely does! You did say he spent years trying to find you again. Why would he go through so much trouble if he didn't care?"

"I guess." Starlight said, her ears lowering shyly, her cheeks blushing. "Can you at least give me advice on how to tell him without tripping over my words at least?"

"Of course, I can. Why don't we do a little role playing? I'll be Sunburst and you try and tell him how you feel." Twilight assumed the position, cleared her throat and attempted to speak in a much deeper tone to resemble that of a male pony. "Ahem-"Hey, Starlight. What's up?" Now you try." she said in her normal voice again.

Starlight gulped nervously before speaking, "Uh, hey Sunburst. You look…nice."

"Thanks, I just had my uniform washed." Twilight spoke in her deep voice once more.

"So, anyway, there's something I've been…meaning to tell you."

"What is it? You know you can always tell me anything."

Starlight could feel her heart pounding hard against her chest, drops of sweat dripping from her brow as she tried to say the words. "Well…you see…I…I…I….I can't do this!" the poor flustered unicorn shielded her face like a frightened puppy dog and rested her stomach on the castle floor.

"It was a good try." Twilight said sympathetically, stroking her friend's mane.

"It's no use. If I so much as look into Sunburst's eyes I'll panic." Starlight's ears perked up and set stood up quickly when an idea formed in her head. "I know! You can make me a list of things to say. I'll rehearse them so that way I won't chicken out if I run out of words."

"I don't know." Twilight said with uncertainty, "A confession like this should come from the heart, not a list."

" _Please,_ Twilight?" Starlight pleased, her lower lip quivering and her eyes becoming as big as a puppy dog's. Twilight still thought this wasn't necessary, but the unicorn was still learning. Maybe she could comply this one time.

"Fine. I'm still against it, but if it'll put you at ease."

"Thank you!"

Twilight rolled her eyes and levitated a quill and scroll to start. "In the meantime, why don't you go join the others in the throne room? They're planning our trip to the Crystal Empire when Shining Armor and Princess Cadance have their baby! Why don't you go with them while I make your list."

"Throne room! Got it!" Starlight quickly galloped out of the library and headed for the throne room…only to return a few short seconds latter, "U'm, which way is the throne room again? All these doors look the same." the unicorn said with a nervous laugh, making Twilight sigh and roll her eyes with a smile.

(~)

Starlight Glimmer entered the throne room and, just as Twilight has stated, all of Team Avatar was present. Each of the Mane Six sat on their respected thrones while Asami and Mako stood beside them. The only one not present was Bolin, who was already off working with Kuvira in the earth kingdom.

"Well, I think we should leave ASAP." Rainbow Dash said as she sat on her respected throne. "I don't want to miss the Crystalling!"

"Be patient Rainbow Dash." Mako said as he stood beside her, crossing his arms. "We have to wait for the invitation to get here first."

"Frankly, I'm not exactly clear on all the customs and traditions of the Crystal Empire, especially when it comes to a Crystalling." Applejack said, sitting on her respected throne.

"What's a Crystalling?" Starlight Glimmer asked just as she walked in.

Rarity was the first to answer her question, "Well, that's just it, darling. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor's baby is due any day, and we're still not sure. The Crystal Empire was gone for a thousand years. A lot of their customs are a bit murky."

The raven haired Asami Sato attempted to explain to the unicorn the knowledge they managed to gather. "We so know it's got something to do with the new baby."

"And a party!" Pinkie Pie said rather quickly as she poked her head from underneath the rounded table, surprising both Starlight and Asami. The pink pony smiled widely, her nose practically touching a still surprised Starlight.

"And the Crystal Heart." Fluttershy said.

"And a party!" Pinkie exclaimed, just as quickly as before, frightening Fluttershy so much she instinctively blasted a gust of wind at the pony, sending her flying across the room to hit a wall. "I'm okay!" Pinkie called out.

"And some kinda cool energy." Rainbow Dash said last, only to have Pinkie Pie appear on the table.

"And… a party!" the pink pony cheered while exploding confetti everywhere. Rainbow Dash gave her friend a deadpan glare, and Starlight looked at the pegasus in confusion. Rainbow simply shrugged. There was just no fully understanding that pony.

"It's not hard to understand. Most things in the Crystal Empire aren't." Spike said as he and Korra entered the room. The human alicorn was carrying an ancient purple colored vase with beautifully artistic images painted around it. Spike jumped onto his throne and unfolded a scroll he was carrying, revealing an image of himself holding the Crystal Heart. "Like how I'm a big hero there, for example!" the dragon smiled proudly.

The dragon was met with indifferent looks from the rest of the group, while Rarity stifled a giggle, slightly breaking the silence. Korra only rolled her eyes and placed the vase onto the table. "Plus, me and Twilight did do a lot of research on Crystallings."

"Oh, can I explain it? Please!" Spike pleaded, giving her his big puppy dog eyes.

Korra simply shrugged and smiled, "Fine. Go ahead."

The dragon smiled with glee before clearing his throat and told everyone the process of a Crystalling by using the images depicted on the vase. Each side had a drawing of the events that took place during this ceremony.

"Whenever a baby is born in the Crystal Empire, the parents bring it before the Crystal Heart. They get the purest shard of crystal they can find, then pick a crystaller to present the baby to everypony who comes. Then they all share the light and joy they feel, feeding it into the crystal that joins with the Heart, and increases its power! And this is going to be a royal Crystalling, so pretty much the whole empire will show up. That hasn't happened in a millennia!"

"What do you mean it increases the Crystal Heart's power?" Starlight asked the Avatar.

"The energy it uses to protect the Crystal Empire. Without, the entire place would be lost to the Frozen North."

Asami's gaze fell to the floor, crossing her arms sadly. "I wish Bolin was here to see it." she said sadly. Her boyfriend had taken a job, helping to stabilize the Earth Kingdom with Kuvira, Varrick and the Earth Queen. She was very proud of him, but his job did keep her away from home, not to mention he was helping settle a very difficult land dispute at the moment, so there was no way he could be there on time with the baby coming so soon, and the Crystalling happening short afterwords.

Mako placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Me too. But, we'll be sure to take a lot of pictures to send him."

"I'm on it!" Pinkie Pie said, right before taking a picture with a camera she somehow managed to obtain. A powerful flash practically left the two blind. Once their vision had cleared, they both glared in annoyance at the pony, who smiled in apologetically.

(~)

Back at Air Temple Island, P'Li hummed a happy tune while folding her laundry in the room she and Starlight had been sharing ever since she moved in. She spotted the now anthro unicorn walk into the room. "Hey, Starlight. Back already?"

"Yeah, just went to see Twilight at her castle. Got a little turned around in the process."

P'Li gave a light chuckle. "Yeah, that thing looks a lot smaller on the outside."

"I know, right!" Starlight said, also chuckling. However, P'li noticed the hint of nervousness in there as well.

"Still worried about Sunburst, hu?"

"I'm sorry to bring up my love life. You know, because you…" Starlight trailed off, not wanting to remind her friend of her past relationship.

P'Li smiled in reassurance, "It's okay, I know what you mean." she said while taking a seat and inviting Starlight to sit beside her at the corner of the bed. "You've chosen wisely, you know. Sunburst is a wonderful stallion. Smart, kind, courageous, loyal."

"I know. I can't but feel nervous about telling him."

"That's perfectly normal. Back when me and Zaheer were still very young, I had a hard time confessing my feelings too."

Starlight looked at her in surprise. "You did?"

"Oh, absolutely! I was a nervous wreck. But, we both know how that story ended so, not the best example. My point is, just as Sunburst didn't think any less of you after you told him about you becoming…"

"Totally evil?" Starlight said with regret.

"I was going to say a little bit exaggerative." P'Li said, prompting the two to laugh, "I'm sure he won't think any less of you if you tell him how you feel. You have nothing to be afraid of."

Starlight smiled as she hugged her friend, "Thanks, P'Li."

"Anytime. I may not be he best at romantic advice, but I'm always here if you ever need a hug. Or someone to talk to." P'Li said while stroking the pony's mane.

(~)

The next day, Starlight could already feel her body shaking as she approached Sunburst's new home in the city. She knocked not the door, and once hearing him invite her in she turned the knob and walked right in, seeing her friend organizing several police files on his kitchen table. He was wearing a plain white shirt with short sleeves, which exposed his perfectly toned human arms, being currently in his anthro form, and wearing dark pants and some slippers. On his forearm, was his cutie mark. While mares had their on their cheek while in anthro form, a stallion's was on their arm.

Starlight had to mentally slap herself back to reality before greeting him. Her face red. "Hey, Sunburst, can I talk to you…everything okay?" she asked, noticing that it wasn't just police files he was reading. One of the papers in his hand appeared to be a letter of some kind. As he read it, he didn't look at all too thrilled to read what it said.

"Oh, yeah. Fine." he suggested, placing the papers down on the table. "It's just that..."

"What's wrong?" Starlight asked. She knew something was bothering him.

Sunburst sighed, tracing his fingers across his orange sunset hair. "I…got a letter from my dad."

Starlight blinked in surprise. She had not seen Sunburst's parents ever since he left for magic school and she left the village. She only remembered the two were very talented unicorn ponies who excelled in magic and always pushed Sunburst to do the same. Naturally, their blood ran through his veins for her got his cutie mark in magic. However, after they were reunited, Sunburst had mentioned that his mother passed away three years ago due to illness, and had not spoken to his father in a long time, even long before his mother passed, who was the only one he kept in touch with before her passing. His relationship with his father had become rather distant, and she knew why.

"What did he want?" she asked, rather hesitantly, not wanting to step on any toes.

"He said he wants to see me. Probably to make amends. We've barely spoken since I dropped out of magic school five years back, and even less since my mom passed."

"Where does he live now?"

"At the Crystal Empire. He didn't say much, only that he's been living there for a few months. Says here he's hoping to make amends."

"That's great!"

"There's just one problem." Sunburst said as he scratched the back of his neck, "He already knows I dropped out of magic school, but…I never told him about me being a cop."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know how he will take me using my magic for law enforcement instead of studying to be a wizard like he was."

"Well, maybe he won't. You are still technically using your magic, and you're really great at it."

"Maybe." Sunburst's ears pressed down against his head. "My dad's always been the…stubborn, type. It's been a long time since we've talked. I'm just not entirely sure if I can handle facing him again."

My dad wasn't all too happy about me leaving magic school. He and mom wanted me to carry on the family tradition of powerful unicorns."

"I can relate." Starlight said as she took a seat opposite him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I was so scared about telling you all about my past mistakes. I'm still not proud of them."

Sunburst smiled and placed his hand over the one she currently had on his shoulder. "Hey, you're not that pony anymore. I've known you for years, I know the kind of pony you really are, Starlight."

Starlight blushed at his compliment. "Thanks, Sunburst." she was silent for a moment before speaking once again, "You know, if I learned anything from our reunion, it's that sometimes you need to face your fears instead of running away from them."

"Well, listen to you being all wise." Sunburst said, flashing her a charming smile which made her blush deepen. She playfully punched his arm.

"Stop it!"

"But, you do make a good point. Who knows, maybe he's over it." he said. But, even Starlight could see the hesitation in his eyes. He wanted to see his father, but was too scared to do in fear of how it will turn out. Even she herself felt nervous for him. It was then, she realized she didn't want to leave him to do this alone. She wanted to help him. She wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to know he wasn't alone on this. It can be hard to pick up where two folks left off, and the way things were with Sunburst and his father, she could understand how anxious he must be feeling. Without even a second thought, Starlight said….

"Why don't I go with you to see him?"

Sunburst's ears perked upwards in alert. "Really?"

"Yeah, for moral support."

"I don't know, sure if you remember much about him but he's not exactly the jolly type. Maybe it's best if you just sit this one out."

"No. I _want_ to." Starlight firmly stated, "You've always been there for me, I want to do the same for you."

Sunburst blinked in surprise. "I…I don't know what to say. Thank you." he wrapped his arms around his best friend, hugging her tightly. Starlight lost herself in his embrace, until the reality of the situation hit her. At that moment, all of her confidence withered away, being replaced with the same worry and concern Sunburst was just feeling.

"What are friends for?"

(~)

Starlight grunted angrily once again when she found herself lost in the massive castle…again. "Ugh! I am never gonna find my way around this place!"

A door opened and Spike walked out, seeing the distressed unicorn. "Gee, Starlight, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, Spike. Things have gotten all turned around. I just told Sunburst I'd go with him to see his dad at the Crystal Empire and now, I'm not too thrilled to see him again."

"Then why did you say you would?"

"I don't know! It just slipped out! All I wanted was to be there for Sunburst, but I was so caught up in wanting to help him I completely forgot one little detail."

"What's that?"

Starlight Glimmer sighed as she explained to Spike more about her childhood with Sunburst, as well as her history with his family. "When Sunburst and I were foals, he knew everything there was to know about magic. He always knew just what to do. And he was always there to help me. But, his parents were always pretty hard on him. They weren't always too keen on me being around. They were incredibly talented unicorns, coming from a long line of them. I guess it's not surprising that Sunburst got his cutie mark in magic and... went off to Princess Celestia's school the moment his parents found out. But when he left…"

"You blamed cutie marks and stripped a whole village of theirs, and when Twilight and the others stopped you, you went back in time and almost destroyed Equestria." Spike finished, which only made Starlight feel worse. "Um…but that's all in the past now." he said, trying to take back his blunt response.

"That may be so, but it's not really stuff I'm super eager to tell Sunburst's dad about. If he didn't like me then, I can't imagine what he will think if he knew what I ddi. Not to mention he was so upset about Sunburst leaving magic school, he'll probably blame me for it."

"Why would he blame you? It wasn't your fault he decided to leave. And I bet if he saw Sunburst now he'd be proud."

"That's another thing. What if he ends up thinking I'm not good enough to be friends with his son? Sunburst is a part of the Republic City Police department now and… I can't even find my way around Twilight's castle."

"You know, you thought the exact same thing before you told Sunburst about your past, remember? He didn't hold it against you, so maybe his dad won't either."

"Maybe."

"I'm sure once you see him everything will turn out fine. Besides, if Sunburst's dad is _that_ good at magic, maybe he'd appreciate your, uh…" Spike cleared his throat, trying to find a much more appropriate word to use, "exploits. You should talk to Twilight about it. I'm sure she'd want to hear what you have to say."

"I know. But I don't want Sunburst to think I don't want to be there for him." the unicorn grunted in frustration, "Urh! This friendship stuff is harder than it looks."

"That's why you have us, to help you through it." Spike said, comforting his friend.

"Spike! Come quick!" Twilight's voice called out from the balcony, where she and Korra waited eagerly, looking out into the distance. Starlight and Spike arrived not too long after she had called for her assistant. A cold wind blew in their direction, carrying what appeared to be a snowflake that sparkled in the sunlight. It was unusual for there to be a gust of cold wind during this time of day, or during this time of the year.

Still, the two princesses smiled excitedly once the snowflake landed on Korra's hand. The snowflake was made of paper, the edges designed with crystal styled hearts. It also doubled as an envelop, opening up in four pieces with a note inside.

"It's a Crystalling invitation!" Spike said excitedly upon seeing the letter.

"Shiny and Cadie are parents!" Korra exclaimed with joy.

"And I'm an aunt!" Twilight exclaimed, equally thrilled and levitated the letter, "Korra, look! It says Cadance wants you to be the official Crystaller for the baby!"

"Are you serious?!" Korra snatched the letter back, reading the words once more. She gasped, a hug smile grew on her eyes and her eyes sparkled as she leaped up into the air, "Whoohoo! I'm a godmother!"

Starlight smiled for her friends, "I'm so happy for you guys!"

"Hey, this is perfect!" Spike said, remembering their previous conversation. "You and Sunburst can come with us to the Crystal Empire. That way you can see the Crystalling and see his dad."

"Sunburst's dad?" Twilight asked, her eyes blinking in surprise, which made Starlight gulp nervously.

"Wait, wasn't he the one who basically pushed Sunburst into the next train to Canterlot before he could even say goodbye which eventually led to your slow descend into madness?" Korra asked, remembering the time Starlight had told her the story, to which Twilight, Mako, Bolin and Asami already knew about beforehand.

Starlight's ears lowered sadly. "Yeah, that's him. As if trying to tell Sunburst how I felt wasn't scary enough."

"Did he invite you to see him?" Twilight asked.

"No, I mostly invited myself. I just saw how nervous he was and, I don't know what came over me!"

"I do." Korra said, softly lifting the pony's chin up. "It's called being there for your friends. One of the first things one learns when it comes to friendship."

"I guess." Starlight replied, looking down with uncertainty until Twilight wrapped her hoof around her.

"Don't worry, since this is your first real test in friendship, we'll be right there to help you so your visit with Sunburst's dad goes off without hitch, and we'll finally get to meet the baby! I can't wait!"

Starlight smiled awkwardly during the tight hug. "Right…me neither." she said, though really there was no hiding the fear and worry in her voice.

(~)


	2. Chapter 2

**The Crystalling part 2**

The day had finally arrived and Team Avatar were well on their way to the Crystal Empire for the Crystalling of the newborn child. Each member came with a bearing for the child. Asami had a Future Industries baby ratel, Mako held a teddy bear and Korra made a small little tiara for the baby, which according to the invitation, was a girl. She used her ice based powers to create the base, adding several gemstones Rarity had given her for the final touch. It was styled to look like a crystal heart. The gift sparkled in the light.

Rainbow Dash yawned from her seat, waking up from her nap, looking over at Applejack's gift, which was covered by a blanket. "Um, Applejack, what is that?"

"Oh, just a little somethin' for the young'un." Applejack pulled the blanket off, using her mouth, to reveal a wooden baby crib with apple imprints on it. The pony smiled proudly at her work. "Made from genuine Sweet Apple Acres apple trees. We make 'em for all the Apples, and anypony related to Twilight is practically family."

Twilight felt deeply touched by both the gift and the comment. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "Yeah, it's okay... But it's no Cloudsdale mobile! Bam!" the pegasus proudly showcased the baby mobile with rainbows, clouds and lightning bolts hanging off of them.

"Ooh! Pretty!" Pinkie commented as she taped on one of the hanging lightning bolts. The touched caused it to shall off and shatter on the floor. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at the pink pony, who smiled apologetically.

"Well, a mobile is real nice... as long as you have somethin' to lay in so you can look at it." said Applejack, tapping her hoof to the crib.

" _And_ a fetching blanket to keep you warm." Rarity said as she placed a blanket she had made for the child and placed it neatly on the bed of the crib, making it look even more adorable.

"I'm sure Shining Armor and Princess Cadance will love all our gifts." Twilight said, "But I think they're more happy we'll be attending the baby's Crystalling."

"I'm so excited!" Korra said as she placed the tiara into its gift box and then into her shoulder bag, "We haven't been to the Empire ever since…" the Avatar hesitated to continue, since the Sato heiress was sitting right behind her and Mako.

"Since I got possessed by NightMara and cursed the Crystal Heart and nearly doomed the land to an eternal dark winter?" Asami finished for her friend, crossing her arms while the couple beside her blushed awkwardly. Asami only giggled, "Guys, it's fine. It doesn't bother me anymore."

Korra chuckled and smiled in relief, "That's good. Besides, I'm not one to dwell on the past."

From another seat, in opposite corner of the train from the three humans, Starlight and Sunburst sat together with Spike. "How does the Crystal Heart work, exactly?" Sunburst asked, "I've heard about it before, but details are still a bit sketchy.

"It's magic is still pretty hard to understand, even for the Crystal Ponies themselves." Mako explained, "What we do know is that it's powered by the ponies' love and light, which spreads across the Empire and Equestria."

"Without it's magic, the entire Empire would be lost to the Frozen North." said Flash Sentry.

"Wow, this Crystalling sounds pretty important." the male unicorn said. "You guys sure you won't need a few extra hooves to help out?"

"No, I think we'll be good." Twilight said with confidence, making Sunburst frown in disappointment, his ears pressing against his head. "Besides, we don't want to get in the way of you visiting your dad, Sunburst."

"Right…really appreciate it." he said with uncertainty.

Spike, the little dragon in front of them, smiled in reassurance. "Don't worry, everything will be just fine."

"Thanks, Spike. I'm just…really worried about seeing my dad again. I don't know how he'll react to me being a cop now.."

"Well, lucky for you, _I_ am the right hand assistant to the Princesses of Friendship! Whenever you get stumped, I'll be there to coach you. I even brought with me a list of steps to take when seeing old friends again." the little dragon pulled out a scroll from his back, which rolled onto the floor, extending on and on across the train floor, making the two unicorns laugh nervously. The little dragon had definitely taken after his friend. "Step one, head to your friend's house and get you two started on the right hoof." Spike read out loud, which only made the two groan simultaneously.

"Star, are you sure you want to do this?" Sunburst asked, "You know you don't have to feel forced to see him. I'll understand."

While it was true, Starlight was afraid, she was even more afraid of not being a good friend to Sunburst. She was scared, she was nervous, she was anxious, she was all these things but more importantly…she cared about Sunburst. She would never forgive herself if she backed down on her word now.

"No, I'll be fine. I promised I'd be there for you, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."

Sunburst felt deeply touched by her words. He knew she would be there for him…he was just scared she'd have to deal with the consequences latter on. He hoped he would be wrong about this father this time.

Flash and Twilight watched them from their seat. "They really are perfect for each other." Flash said, his girlfriend nodded in agreement.

The train came to a stop and the team boarded off. Twilight immediately spotted a familiar pony waiting for them at the station. "Shining Armor!" the alicorn exclaimed joyfully, which resulted in waking up the sleeping unicorn prince, who had been snoring when they arrived. He shook his sleepy head and smiled upon seeing his little sister.

"Twilight…!" he greeted, his voice sounding…incredibly tired. Not only did he sound tired, but he looked terrible. His mane and tail were a complete mess, he had bangs under his eyes and they could even see a few little hairs under his chin. Not only that, but his breath didn't smell all that good either.

"I didn't know you were meeting us!" Twilight said.

"Of course I am! It's me, right here. Here I am. Why wouldn't I come meet my sister? Though we have met before, heh-heh…"

Korra arched an eyebrow "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

"Never better! Being a father is amazing! And wonderful, and amazing, and confusing, and amazing, but surprising too, you know? I mean, not that you'd know. You wouldn't know, I know... You know?" the exhausted prince forced a smile, his eyes widening and his irises shrinking to indicate he was loosing his mind. Once he realized he wasn't fooling anyone, he took a step back and sighed. "Sorry. I haven't really slept since Cadance had the baby. Come to think of it, she hasn't either. It sure would be great to get a break."

"Oh, of course!" Twilight said, placing a hoof on her brother's shoulder, "I don't know what I was thinking! You two probably need all kinds of help!"

"Luckily for you, you've got Team Avatar on your side!" Korra said with great confidence as she wrapped her arms around Mako and Asami, bringing them in closer. The three of them smiling proudly.

Shining Armor could already feel the weight being partly lifted from his shoulders. "Thanks you guys."

Mako, Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry stood before the prince, straightening themselves and saluting to the prince, "Sir, waiting your orders, Sir!"

Sunburst saluted as well, only for Twilight to giggle, "At ease, soldier. You, Starlight and Spike go on and see your dad. We'll take care of things from here."

Spike gave her a salute, "Aye-aye, Princess!" he said before marching ahead.

Starlight gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah, really appreciate it, Spike." he said nervously as he followed Spike.

Sunburst laughed nervously, "Yeah…" he said before saying the next thing through gritted teeth a he followed the two, " _Appreciate it_."

Once they were gone, Twilight turned back to Shinning Armor, "Alright, big brother, let's go see this amazing baby pony!"

Everyone else gave a deadpan stare when they saw Shinning Armor snoring, while muttering, "Ahhh… the baby…"

Korra cleared her throat before gently waking up the sleeping prince. " _HEY SHINNY!_ "

"AH! I'M AWAKE!"

(~)

The two unicorns made their way around the stunning Crystal Empire. Starlight wanted so desperately to explore the place, see the sights, admire the architecture, but sadly her curiosity was clouded by her nerves. But, she had already promised she'd go with him. She could tell Sunburst was scared, so was she, but she remained strong for him. Even if his father would resent her in some way, at least she would know she had done her part and was there for Sunburst. It was strange, caring about another pony really thrived her to become better. She wasn't doing this for her, she was doing it for him.

Spike noticed the concerned looks on their faces, "I know you're both a little worried about this reunion, but you don't have to be. You've got me and Starlight with you."

"Right." Starlight muttered to herself, feeling more and more unsure of herself.

Sunburst abruptly stopped when he saw a gigantic statue of the little dragon, carrying a Crystal Heart in his claw. "Wait a sec, is that…you?" he asked in awe.

Spike stopped for a moment to see he was pointing at the statue. "Huh? Oh yeah, it sure is. Now, where did you say your dad's house was? Down the left side street or the right?"

"Why is there a statue of you in the Crystal Empire?" Sunburst asked curiously.

Starlight was startled when a female crystal pony appeared, answering Sunburst's previous question, her eyes sparkling in awe as she explained. "Because Spike the Brave and Glorious saved all of us from King Sombra!"

"And then again during the Equestria Games!" said a secondary Crystal Pony, equally enthusiastic at telling Spike's heroic tale.

"Really?" Sunburst's asked in surprise. He had no idea this little dragon was such a hero.

"Really!" A male crystal pony replied and shook hooves with Spike, "Big fan."

"When were you going to tell us about this?" Sunburst asked, even more interested.

Spike blushed and scratched the back of his neck, "Nah, it's no big deal."

"It most certainly _is_!" a swarm of Crystal Ponies surrounded the little dragon and his two friends, surprising them all the more.

"Please tell us about your heroic tale, Spike the Brave and Glorious!" one little filly asked, her crystal eyes shimmering adorably.

"It's okay, Spike." Sunburst insisted, "I think we can spare a few minutes."

Starlight didn't know if to say something or not, but then again, maybe waiting a few more minutes would ease their nerves a bit. Besides, she was just as interested to know about Spike's tale. The two unicorns levitated two bags of popcorn and sat down as a group of crystal ponies surrounded Spike, eager to once again hear his tale.

(~)

Shining Armor led the group down the crystal hallway unto they reached the baby's nursery, which was adorned with a pink heart at the top of the door. "Before we go in, I should probably tell you. Seeing the baby might be a…bit of a shock."

Korra only chuckled, "Come on, Shinny. We've seen babies before."

"I once saw one being born." Fluttershy said, reminiscing the time where she saw Pema during her time of labor when Rohan was born.

Twilight used her magic to open the door and allow themselves to walk in. "Besides, after everything we've been through, I doubt seeing a baby will be such a challenge."

The entire group walked into the nursery, where the new mother, Cadance, and the alicorns, Luna, Celestia and Leilani awaited. Cadance appeared exhausted with dreary eyes and messed up mane and tail. The alicorns bowed and allowed the group to walk towards the crystal bed, where the most adorable little light pink bundle of joy rested soundly, wrapped around in a cyan blanket. Korra allowed Twilight to go first, her heart leaping once she saw the child up close.

She couldn't believe it, she was an aunt. Everyone in the team was absolutely enchanted by the newborn child. She was of light pink in coat color with a long unicorn horn, light purple hair with cyan streaks and a cute tiny little nose that made them want to rub their own against to give her nose kisses.

Korra was especially moved to see the little one. She had seen a human child be born, but never a baby pony. It was just as beautiful as when Rohan was born.

"Oh, I wish Bolin was here to see this." Asami said, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the baby, her hands against her cheeks in awe.

"She looks so peaceful." Mako said, whipping away a single tear that escaped his eye.

"I saw that, tough guy." Rainbow said with a smirk, elbowing his shoulder.

"What? No, I just had something in my…okay, so I'm not made of stone!"

Flash smiled proudly at his girlfriend as she leaned in closer to see her niece. "Hello, little one." she said softly, "It's your Aunty Twilight. I've been waiting so long to meet you."

"Twilight, look. She's waking up." Flash said as the baby began to wiggle, her eyes fluttering open. They were a stunning light blue that reflected the brightness of the crystals that made her room. She wiggled even more, unraveling the blanket that was wrapped around her, revealing her tiny pony body, adorable hooves, tail and ears. However, it wasn't the hooves or ears everyone was looking at.

Multiple gasps were heard when the baby was now completely exposed to the group, wearing a blue diaper and cooing in the most adorable sound they had ever heard, but even more shocking…were the large pair of pink feathered wings that sprouted out the moment she wiggled out of her blanket.

Korra and Mako, on the other hand, only stood there in confusion, not gasping or gazing in shock, just standing there with one hands on their hips. Korra arched an eyebrow at everyone's reaction. "Seriously? _This_ is such a big shock? Bumi getting airbending was more jaw dropping!"

"You're not even a little surprised?" Asami asked, more amazed to see Korra so perfectly calm.

"Not really." Mako said casually. "Celestia and Luna were born alicorns, so it's really nothing too new."

Korra explained next, "Not to mention, our genetic structure is incredibly strong, so it's highly possible for alicorns to be born naturally, even if only _one_ parent is an alicorn." she said. The baby let out a burbling sound with its mouth and began sucking on her tiny hooves. "Awww!" Korra swooned and wrapped the baby in her arms, tickling her chin. "Hey, little cutie. Who's a little cutie, you are! Yes you are!" the Avatar cooed, making the baby giggle.

Asami shook her head, trying to recollect her thoughts, "So, alicorns can be born _and_ made?"

"Only by accomplishing a great princess worthy deed, darling." Rarity stated.

"Even if she is born with them, the little one still has a lot to learn when it comes to being a true princess." said Celestia, as she smiled at the little baby, still in Korra's arms. She felt so comfortable taking care of a child. She could get used to this motherhood business.

Pinkie Pie then popped up excitedly. "Wow! A unicorn, _and_ a Pegasus! So she could be a super-strong flyer _and_ have crazy baby magic!"

"Well, I know _all_ about super-strong flying!" Rainbow Dash said as she made a soft air flip to emphasize her point, crossing her hooves and smiling confidently.

"And Korra and I can help keep tabs on her magic!" Twilight said, as the baby cooed in Korra's arms.

Mako approached the child, feeling his heart swell up when she giggled upon seeing him. He tickled her little chin, making her giggle and rub her tiny little pony nose against his hand.

"You want to hold her?" Korra offered.

Mako looked at her in slight surprise. He had never held a baby pony before, let a lone a baby alicon. Still, Korra gently placed the child into his arms and before long the baby was comfortably snuggled in his embrace. "Hello little one." he said as the baby reached out her hooves to touch his face, making him smile. To his amazement, Mako was a natural when it came to holding babies. It felt so right to be carrying a child in his arms, seeing them smile and giggle as they looked at you with their innocent eyes.

The baby let out an adorable yawn, indicating she was getting sleepy. Mako gently placed her down on her bed. But once she was placed, her nose crinkled. Everyone was eagerly awaiting for a cute little sneeze.

A powerful beam of light came shooting out of the baby's horn the moment she sneezed, shocking everyone in the room, forcing them to step back. Their eyes widening in shock as the beam blew a hole right through the ceiling. One of the pony nursemaids poked her head from one of the floors, the top part of her hair completely singed.

All eyes fell back on the baby, eye wide and jaws dropped. The baby rubbed her nose and went to sleep.

Korra blinked, her mouth wide open. "Okay… _that_ I wasn't prepared for."

Leilani rubbed the child's sleepy head. "Just as expected. Her magic is more powerful than that of a newborn unicorn. Perfectly normal for alicorns, but a tad dangerous for normal ponies."

"No kidding!" Mako said, his eyes still looking up at the damage done by one little pony.

"Uh, guys." all head turned to Flash Sentry, who stood by the window, and pointing his hoof towards the many ponies arriving. "Looks like the crowds have already started forming."

Pinkie Pie pulled out an empty green ballon and blew on it, inflating it instantly and wrapping a string around it as she allowed it to rise her up from the floor. "This Crystalling is gonna be some party!" she said as the ballon lifted her up, only to pop a few seconds latter.

Cadance looked at her equally tired husband while their baby sucked on her mother's hoof. "Do you think we should call it off?" she asked the father.

Rainbow Dash scoffed while crossing her hooves, "Um, we've all faced a lot worse than baby magic."

"I can't imagine canceling such a beautiful and important ceremony over something so potentially adorable!" Rarity said.

Korra nodded her head and smiled at the sleeping baby alicorn. "I agree. Besides, knowing now how much magic she really has, this Crystalling is more important than ever."

"Korra is right." Leilani said, "The powerful magic of the the Crystal Heart will help stabilize her magic for the time being." the alicorn queen turned to the pink alicorn, "Perhaps you should address to your subjects and remind them of that." she said.

Princess Cadance nodded in agreement before lovingly kissing her daughter's forehead. The four alicorns exited the nursery, though Cadance looked back to take one last glance at her little girl. Despite her powerful and unpredictable magic, she still loved this child more than life itself. She hatted having to leave her now, but she would soon have all the time in the world to spend with her.

Shinning Armor snored, resting on the pillows of his daughter's bed. His sister gently nudged him awake. "Shining Armor! Do you have everything you need for the ceremony?"

Shining Armor managed to weekly wake himself up, processing Twilight's recent question. Once he did, the poor prince's sleepy eyes widened so much he looked as if he were going mad and started pacing around the nursery in a panic frenzy.

"Oh, no! I still have to interview the honor guards, choose the purity crystal, and pick a crystaller!"

"You already did." Korra reminded me, "It's me."

"Oh, right. AH! What about my fitting? I haven't even-"

"Alright, take it easy." Twilight managed to calm her brother down by holding his shaking body still. "Pinkie can stay here with me and Korra and keep an eye on the baby."

Pinkie Pie squeed in reply, while the little baby was attached to her face, to which Pinkie Pie did not mind whatsoever. Even if the child was touching her very eyeballs.

"And we'll all help you with everythin' else." Applejack said to reassure the prince…only to arch in eyebrow once he started snoring again, resting on the crystal floor, shaking his back leg like a dog.

"That is, if you can stay awake long enough to tell us _how_." Mako said with a deadpan stare, which mirrored Rarity's.

(~)

Meanwhile, back with Sunburst and Starlight, the two were actually pretty fascinated with Spike's tale about how he saved the Crystal Heart, just as much as the large crowd of crystal ponies that had formed over the course of his storytelling.

"…and that's how we found the Crystal Heart, defeated King Sombra, and saved the Empire." Spike concluded. The crystal ponies cheered for their hero.

A couple of crystal fillies chanted, "We love you, Spike!"

"Tell the one about the Equestria Games!" one of the fillies said eagerly.

"Well, as much as I love reliving my heroic deeds, my friends and I have somewhere to be."

"Awwww!" the little fillies sighed in disappointment. Sunburst's expression fell but remained silent. As fun as it was to hear about Spike's adventures, there was no denying the inevitable. The ponies all sighed in disappointment but complied none the less and dispersed.

Sunburst looked down to the ground sadly and Starlight placed a sympathetic hoof on his shoulder. He sighed. "Let's go get this over with."

(~)

Sunburst could feel his stomach turning once they reached his father's house. It was a crystal green quartz house with a roof that resembled an orange wizard's hat with diamond shaped windows. It looked very small, but no doubt big enough for a single pony.

The moment they reached the doorstep, Sunburst hesitated. So many questions were running through his mind right now. Would his father be proud? Had he finally come around? Would he say something mean to Starlight? The latter was more worrisome for him. If he did this Starlight would be heartbroken, and she had gone through too much already.

Seeing his hesitation, Spike shoved Starlight forward. Motioning her to go to him. She gulped but walked on over to Sunburst, placing a reassuring hoof on his shoulder. This immediately placed his mind at ease. He took in a deep breath and knocked on the crystal door. For a moment, all was silent until the door creaked open. Sunburst tried to peek inside, seeing mostly darkness.

"Um…hello?"

From a small opening a yellow male unicorn with orange hair, styled into a messy mohawk-like style, with a thin orange beard and wearing a pair of glasses over his nose looked through the opening. His eyes were purple, appearing darker in the dim lighting.

"Yes? What can I do for you?"

"It's… It's me, Sunburst."

Upon hearing the name, the door immediately burst open to reveal Sunburst's father, Blazing Saddles. He looked a great deal like his son, minus for the coat and eye colors, as well as the way they choose to wear their hair. Sunburst's hair was brushed to the side while his father's was a somewhat messy mohawk. "Oh, Sunburst! I'm so happy you could make it!" Blazing Saddles surprised his son with a tight hug. All of Sunburst's previous worries slowly started to fade. Maybe his father had changed after all.

Blazing Saddled was so thrilled, and relieved, to see his son back. However, his happiness quickly changed to surprise when he saw a familiar female unicorn behind his son. She had grown much from when they were children, sporting a new beautiful hairstyle.

Blazing Saddles released his son, his gaze still on the girl. "I see you brought Starlight Glimmer." he said, his tone sounding…anything but excited to say the least.

And just like that, all of Sunburst's previous concerns returned. "Yeah, from when I was little. You know, before I went off to magic school."

"Yes, of course I remember!" Blazing Saddles approached the unicorn, who smiled nervously but tried her best to hide it. She could practically hear her heart pounding like crazy in his presence. My goodness, it's been a long time hasn't it? What, uh, what have you been up to?"

Starlight felt her body tense. She knew she couldn't just upright and tell the stallion about her past mistakes. Even Sunburst didn't know the minute they saw each other again. But, in this case, it would probably be best if he didn't know at all.

"Me? Oh! You know, some of this, some of that, different... stuff. Right now, I'm sort of part of the new air nation now."

"Oh, you're an airbender? How…interesting. So, what brings you here?"

"I was just accompanying the Princesses of Friendship to see the royal Crystalling."

Blazing Saddle's eyes widened upon hearing this. "The royal princesses? You're with them now?"

"Yeah. I'm a new friend." so far so good, Starlight thought.

"So, Dad, what have you been up to?" Sunburst asked. "In your letter you never told me what you were doing since you moved here."

"What? Oh. Y-Yes! Uh, y-yes, what I do, I um…I just got a job as the new magic history professor here and I still have a lot of papers to grade, but I can squeeze a few moments with my son and his…friend. Come on in."

The two unicorns entered the establishment with Spike in tow. The little dragon whispered to Starlight, "See? You've got nothing to worry about." he said.

Maybe he was right, maybe everything would go well for Starlight….or so she thought.

(~)


	3. Chapter 3

**I should have been a bit more clear on the previous chapters. The idea of making Korra a godmother was from Matthew Walker who suggested it. Thanks, Matt! Anyway, this is not, I repeat, NOT remaking the entire six season. This is only a ONE SHOT story split into five chapters, revolving ONLY around the premiere. I meant what I said about taking a break from TLPL but I wanted to write this one little thing for old time sake. Hope that cleared a few things up. Enjoy!**

 **The Crystalling part 3**

Princess Cadance, now having fixed her hair a bit, stood on the stage with the three alicorns beside her. The stage was decorated with a large heart shaped arc with a single yellow star above it. A large curtain was behind it, and from behind the curtain, the father peeked to hear is wife speaking to the crowd.

"Dearest citizens, I am sure you are all just as thrilled and ready for this Crystalling as myself and Shining Armor."

The ponies cheered excitedly. Shinning Armor could already hear them talking about the baby and how wonderful the ceremony will be. As if the prince wasn't worried enough. He turned back to the line of crystal guards, awaiting for him to choose which one of them would have the honor of being in the ceremony. Shinning Armor began to release short panicked breaths. He hadn't gotten any sleep in the past three days, he could barely think straight and had completely forgotten what he needed to look for on an honor guard.

"I'm not ready!" he exclaimed, his eyes widening.

Flash Sentry flew down before him with Rainbow Dash, both holding knight helmets. "Take it easy!" Rainbow Dash said, "Just pick whoever looks the most like honor guard material."

"Right… right." said the prince, levitating the two helmets. He really wasn't thinking much and just randomly picked the first two the helmets landed on…backwards and in their faces. The two chosen, or they assumed they were chosen, tumbled backwards due to the helmets shielding their visions and the other guars whimpered as they backed away.

Shining Armor sighed in regret to the others. "I'm sorry. Fatherhood is way more stressful than I ever thought."

"I hear ya, buddy." Mako said, earning a few questionable looks from the others.

"I'm pretty sure three little lizard spirits aren't nearly as challenging as a newborn alicorn." said Applejack.

"Have you _tried_ getting those kids to eat their vegetable?" Mako said, crossing his arms, "It's no picnic."

"Plus, Ali's a bitter." Asami said, looking at her finger. She could still feel the sting of those tiny little teeth.

Rarity then levitated a velvet box before Shinning Armor, opening it to reveal five bright blue crystals. "Now, I know choosing the crystal of purity is a very important decision. So I have gone through the trouble of arranging them in order from incredibly pure to outrageously pure."

"Um, Rarity, don't they all sort of look the same?" Fluttershy asked, looking at how disturbingly similar the jewels all looked.

"Oh, well, to the untrained eye, perhaps. What do you think, Shining Armor?" Rarity levitated the opened box towards the prince, who began to stammer incoherently, his eyes increasing in size once more and his body trembling in anxiety.

" _I don't know!"_ he cried out before lowering down and covering his face while the others only looked on in pity.

Asami whispered to Flash Sentry, "I hope the others are having better luck with the baby!"

(~)

 _"Just like the magic inside of you…."_

The baby yawned and snuggled in Korra's arms. She had just finished singing a song for the little one, and just as expected she fell right asleep. Korra gently placed her back into her bed, covering her with a blanket and kissed her little head.

"Aww. She's so peaceful." she said….right before turning back to Twilight and Pinkie Pie, who looked like they had been through a tornado as did the rest of the room. There were a couple scorch marks on the walls. The baby had already learned how to use her horn and was shooting magical yellow beams around the place. Twilight managed to keep her in check, and even Pinkie Pie tried to hold her down when she was flying everywhere, but only did Korra's singing actually calmed her down.

"I can't believe you managed to get her to sleep." Twilight said, breathing heavily due to exhaustion. She never knew one little baby could cause her so much trouble.

"I sing for Rohan all the time." Korra said, once the child was sound asleep. "You know, I could really get used to this mother stuff. It just feels so right." she flipped her hair a bit and turned back to her friends, "Okay, now that that's done, let's go check on…" she trailed off when she saw the two now nervous ponies pointing their hooves, urging the Avatar to turn around. Korra didn't even bother and just gave an unsurprised deadpan stare.

"She's flying again, isn't she?"

 _two seconds latter…_

"Well… at least she's having... fun!" Pinkie said as she, once again, tried sustaining the child who flew around the room once again, shooting more magical beams everywhere. Both Korra and Twilight managed to keep the beams at bay, by countering them with beams of their own.

"Pinkie, hold her still!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I'm tryiiiiiiing!" Pinkie cried out, her hooves screeching across the floor as she held onto the flying baby. Taking care of this powerhouse was going to be a lot harder than they thought.

(~)

Back at Blazing Saddle's home, the unicorn sat on a table with his son and his guest. Spike saw with them as well, chewing on a few little sandwiches the unicorn had put up for his guests. The sound of his chewing was basically the only line of dialog either of them had shared during the entire visit.

Blazing Saddle's home was filled with shelves upon shelves of books, each one about magic. Magic spells, magic history, magic manuals, ect. It really didn't surprise Starlight, even as a child Blazing Saddles had a variety of books in his collection. It was how Sunburst learned so much.

Starlight's eyes darted around the place as she held the teacup in her hooves. Sunburst was also hesitant to talk, still trying to figure out a way to ease the whole him being a cop news gently. Thankfully for both of them, Blazing Saddles spoke first.

"So, what have you been up to son?"

"Oh, um…well, I moved to Republic City." he said, trying his best to not showcase his nervousness.

"I've heard of it." his father said, sounding somewhat interested. "What's it like?"

"It's great. I've made a lot of new friends and found my own place."

"Do you have a job?" Blazing Saddles asked, unintentionally making his son gulp nervously.

"Y-Yes."

"Well, that's good to hear."

Sunburst's ears perked up in surprise. "It is?"

"Of course. I know I was upset about you dropping out of magic school, but it's still a relief you've found something to support yourself."

"I'm so happy to hear you say that!"

"So, what are you working on now? Keeping your magic skills sharp I hope."

Just when he thought things were going smoothly, they went south fast. "Actually…I'm…uh…" he loved over at Starlight, who smiled and nodded. Encouraging him to tell his father the truth. Sunburst took in a deep breath and confessed. "I took a job at the Republic City Police department!"

Blazing Saddles surprised his guests by spitting out his tea in shock. "You're a cop?!"

"Technically, it's deputy right now. I'm still working my way up."

"W-Well, surely it must require some knowledge about magic, right?"

"Not really. It's not obligatory, but it is accepted by choice. A lot of Equestrians are getting jobs there."

Blazing Saddles shook his head in disbelief, "I…this is…I don't know what to say."

"He really is amazing." said Starlight, finally gaining the courage to speak up. "Chief Beifong says he's the best rookie cop they've had since Mako."

"Who's Mako." Blazing Saddles asked.

"He's like my mentor." Sunburst explained, "He's also royal adviser to the princesses, and Princess Korra's boyfriend. He's teaching me everything I know."

Blazing Saddles eyes his son suspiciously. "You're learning from…a human?"

"Well, yeah. Why is that a problem? Do you have something against humans?"

"Of course not! It's just…well, I was hoping you'd take on a career that would best exercise everything you were taught."

"But dad, I dropped out of Magic School, don't you remember? You were so upset."

"I was at first, but I didn't loose faith in your talents, son. Just because it didn't work out at school doesn't mean you still can't improve. You were just nervous around those other kids, that's all."

"That's not the reason dad. I knew all the spells by heart but I couldn't cast any of them. I soon realized my magic is at its strongest when I use it to serve and protect people. I tried to tell you this before but you wouldn't listen."

Blazing Saddles remained silent, levitating his tea and taking a sip. His eyes drifted over to Starlight, who was silent all throughout their conversation. "So, Starlight Glimmer, how long have you known the Princesses of Friendship?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

"Oh, just a few months really. I mostly spend my time learning airbending from Master Tenzin. He's an amazing teacher. Wise too."

"I see. Well, that's…wonderful." the unicorn sounded anything but pleased. If anything, he sounded more suspicious than anything. "So, what did happen to you after Sunburst left for magic school?"

"What? Nothing!" Starlight replied quickly, slamming her hooves onto the table, causing the teapot to shake. Realizing her outburst she laughed nervously and began pouring herself some more tea. "I-I mean, I don't see what that has to do with anything. W-Why would you even ask that?" Starlight tried desperately to play it cool but the look on Blazing Saddle's eyes only made her more nervous. She stopped pouring the tea, realizing the cup was overflowing and tea was spilling onto the table. She placed it back on the table.

"What about you, dad?" Sunburst asked, in hopes of easing the tension between them. "How has your new job as a professor been treating you?"

Blazing Saddle's eyes suddenly widened and adjusted his glasses, "Oh, right, right! yes, wonderful! Everything is fantastic, I couldn't be prouder. There is nothing more satisfying that doing what you love."

Sunburst smiled, "I'm really happy to hear that, because I'm very happy where I am right now."

"Are you sure?" his father asked.

"Of course I'm sure. I just said I was."

"Well, that's…fine." Blazing Saddles said before taking a sip of his tea.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sunburst asked, his eyes slightly narrowing in suspicion.

"Nothing."

"Dad, I know that tone." Sunburst exclaimed, his ears pressing against his head, indicating anger. "You don't like that I'm a deputy, do you?"

"It's not that son, I'm just…a little disappointed you choose a job like this instead of becoming a wizard. You have so much talent and your just waiting it away!"

"I'm not waisting it away, I'm using it the way I'm supposed to! Just because I'm not a professor like you doesn't mean not good."

"I just don't understand why you would quit school for something like _this_! Working with a bunch of meat headed bodyguards who spend their free time eating donuts and cracking up bad jail puns?"

Starlight shrunk down in her seat as both father and son glared angrily at one another. Spike then tried frantically to look for a solution with the list. "I'm sure there's something here that can help."

At this point, Starlight would be happy with a paper bag over her head.

(~)

Back at the palace, Rarity was brushing Shinning Armor's mane, now wearing his royal prince jacket and breathing heavily. Flash Sentry coached the prince. "In an out, in and out, in and out." he repeated and the prince did as he instructed.

The doors opened and Cadance walked out with the alicorns behind her. Her hair was brushed beautifully and she was now wearing a stunning light blue dress with crystal symbols on the skirt. Her husband sighed in relief, his hair now perfectly manageable.

"Okay. I chose the honor guard, picked the purity crystal, got my suit, and we've already chosen our crystaller. So, all we need is…" the prince rubbed his chin in thought, trying to remember what else he was forgetting, while his wife gave him a deadpan look before rolling her eyes.

"The baby?" she said, stating the obvious.

Shinning Armor's eyes widened and his lips pouted in shock. How could he forget their own baby? The guest of honor? The whole purpose for this Crystalling to begin with?

"We're here!" Korra called, making Shinning Armor breathed a sigh of relief. Twilight kept the baby contained within a magenta colored bubble, where the baby kept on flying in circles around it, with Pinkie Pie holding on tightly onto her.

"She's a _really_ strong flyer!" said the pink pony, still holding onto the child.

Korra phased her hands through the bubble and took the baby into her arms once more. Twilight deactivated the bubble, freeing Pinkie Pie. Korra tickled the child. Anyone could tell the baby took a real liking towards the Princess Avatar, and vice versa.

"Okay, little one, you've had your fun now it's time to go back to mommy." Korra handed the child to Cadance, allowing the mother to levitated her child with her own blue colored magical aura, separating the two new friends.

The baby began whimpering sadly the moment she was separated from Korra, who stood beside her friends. Her eyes filled with tears, her lip quivering. She didn't want to be apart from her new aunty Korra. The poor child sniffed sadly before releasing a powerful and broken hearted cry.

A sonic wave came from the baby's powerful cry, bouncing off of the walls, becoming a booming echo that outstretched all across the empire, surprising many citizens. The Team instinctively covered their ears, their hair, tails and cloths billowing against the wind created by the booming noise.

Once the whaling finally stopped, the Crystal Heart suddenly stopped spinning. The sound of cracking was shortly after…followed by the sound of shattering glass.

The baby burbled as she landed on her mother's extended hoof, all the while she and the others stared in horrified shock. They didn't think it was possible, but the Crystal Heart…was broken!

Bits and pieces of the once stunning magical item were splattered across the floor, there were so many of there there was no way they could be able to put it back together, let alone figure out which piece was which. That would take years in of itself.

Flash Sentry felt woozy and passed out right then and their while Applejack approached the broken pieces. "I'm guessin' that's gonna make it harder to do the Crystalling."

"It's worse than that." Mako said in despair as he opened the curtain.

From the outside they watched as the sky turned a frightening dark shade of blue, powerful cold winds were forming and horrifying dark clouds formed overhead, followed by various snowflakes. Even Mako himself shivered at the cold.

"Without the Heart, the Crystal Empire's about to be buried under a mountain of ice and snow!"

(~)


	4. Chapter 4

**The Crystalling part 4**

The atmosphere was getting colder and colder by the minute, the storm clouds were fast approaching and now their only form of protection was currently shattered into a million tiny pieces.

Rarity's ears lowered in despair, "So… not only can we _not_ take part in a fabulous ancient ceremony, but we're also about to be frozen solid!"

"I don't understand." Asami voiced out, "I thought the Crystal Heart couldn't be easily destroyed so easily! Even when I was NightMara the most I could do was curse the thing!"

"That's because _you_ aren't an alicorn." Korra corrected, "Our emotions are incredibly powerful, and since the baby's magic is unstable, and since the Crystal Heart is powered by emotions added with powerful magic, it overloaded the thing!"

"So, it's just reacting to the baby's mood?" Flash asked.

"It appears so." Leilani said.

"Without the Crystal Heart's magical protection, the entire city's about to become a winter wasteland!" Twilight exclaimed, her voice dripping with fear.

"But what about when King Sombra ruled the Crystal Empire and the Crystal Heart was missin'? The city wasn't covered in snow then!" said Applejack.

"The Heart wasn't missing." Korra stated, "It was still in the castle. King Sombra had just hidden."

"I'm afraid Korra is correct, and the storm clouds are already forming." Celestia said, her amethyst eyes looking up at the clouds which she pointed with her hoof. Lightning cracked from above, illuminating the sky as the clouds drew in closer and closer.

Rainbow Dash flew upwards, pounding her hoofs together. "I can totally fly up there and bust those puppies! No problem!" she said with confidence before preparing to fly out there, only to have the curtains close due to Leilani's magic, stopping the pegasus in her tracks.

"I wouldn't advise it, Rainbow Dash." said the alicorn queen, "Those storm clouds are not like the ones you know.""

Princess Luna looked on in concern, "This far north, the weather has a will of its own, and now it will only grow stronger, enveloping everything in its path."

"Including the Crystal Empire!" Cadance said, her eyes widening in fear as she held her baby close.

"And us along with it!" Twilight added, equally terrified. Pinkie Pie rushed to her side, hugging her while her teeth chattered, her body shaking in fear.

"Can't you guys put it back together?" Mako asked Korra and the rest of the alicorns. "If alicorn magic broke it can't it also put it back together?"

"I'm afraid it's that simple." Leilani replied, "It's not always easy to fix a broken heart."

(~)

This visit wasn't going as Starlight had hoped. From a corner of the house, Spike frantically kept on trying to go over the list to find a solution, but nothing here seemed to be of any help. Well, they were helpful advice, but not for this specific situation. "There's gotta be something…" the dragon said frantically as he searched, but there was nothing here that could help Starlight to deal with a father and son argument.

"Why did I even consider coming here? You'll never change!" Sunburst yelled at his father, now standing on his two legs while slamming his hooves onto the table.

"You think it's easy to watch my son waste his life away?!" Blazing Saddles yelled in response, his yellow face turning red due to his anger. "You've been doing that since you were a foal, wasting time with this filly when you could have been studying and becoming stronger!" Blazing Saddles exclaimed in anger, pointing his hoof at Starlight Glimmer. "I always knew he was a bad influence on you!"

Starlight felt in immediate pang in her chest. She always knew Sunburst's father didn't like her, but this was the first time he had ever came close to saying it.

"Don't you _dare_ talk to Starlight that way!" Sunburst flared his nostrils at his father, breaking apart the teacup and causing the tea within it to spill all over the table and drip to the floor. "This is between you and me, Dad! I'm sorry I'm not the powerful wizard you always wanted me to be, but I couldn't spend the rest of my life wasting my talents on trying to be something I'm not!"

"That's because you quit while you were ahead!" Blazing Saddles said angrily, "You could have been a great wizard, probably the best, I just don't understand why you don't want this!"

"Maybe because it's not what I want, it's what _you_ want!" After a brief moment of silence, Sunburst sighed and walked away from the table, approaching his friend. "I'm sorry, Star. Let's get out of here." he said, leading Starlight towards the door.

She really didn't deserve to tolerate his father's behavior. This was between them, not her. Starlight levitated Spike, who was now wrapped around the list from top to bottom and carried him outside along with her. Sunburst looked back at his father once more, narrowing his eyes.

"Goodbye, dad." he said before slamming the door behind him, leaving Blazing Saddles to huff to himself. Once outside, Sunburst took a moment to release his frustration by breathing in deeply. He looked at his best friend with regret, his ears lowered and pressed against his head. "I'm really sorry you had to see that."

"It's okay. I can see now why you were so hesitant to come here. To be honest, I thought it was that you were embarrassed for him to see me."

Sunburst's ears perked up in surprise. "What? That's ridiculous! I really do appreciate you coming here. It means a lot." his words made the unicorn blush. "I don't regret you coming, but I was also worried about what my dad would say about you and…I was afraid _you'd_ regret coming."

"I don't!" Starlight insisted, "I'm just sorry this didn't turn out like the visit you hoped. What either of us hoped."

"It's not your fault. My dad's always been…stubborn. He just can't accept the fact that I don't want to use my magic the same way he does."

"But you're just as good at him, even if you do use your magic differently. When we were kids you knew more about magic than I did."

"Knowing much is not enough to be good at something. I was taught to use magic to better _myself_ , and when I tried doing it like that I could never cast the right spell. It took me a while to see it but, I eventually realized I was always at my best when I was helping you." the statement made the female unicorn blush. "That's when I knew what my cutie mark really meant. It's funny, you spent most of your life thinking you've found your calling, when really you've been looking at it the wrong way."

"I know exactly what you mean." Starlight said, "For so long, I blamed cutie marks over us splitting up, but really it was because I had my own insecurities to work out."

"I wish I could have been there for you more, and I'm sorry I wasn't. Maybe if we had stayed together you could have helped me figure out my way instead of waisting all those years searching for a lost cause and I could have helped you…"

"Not become totally evil?" Starlight said with a bashful smile, which only made Sunburst and her chuckle. The past was behind them, and if Sunburst was ready to start anew, then so should she. She was given a second chance, a new start…a new name, and Sunburst had already found his, now he was helping guide Starlight through hers.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat. On me." Sunburst suggested. And good thing too, they needed something to get their mind off of this craziness. As the three friends walked away from the house, the door creaked open and Blazing Saddles watched in sadness as his son grew farther and father away yet again.

(~)

The storm clouds were approaching fast and cold air blew against the curtains, making Twilight tremble from the colds. "There must be another way to restore the Crystal Heart!" she exclaimed, "A spell or something?"

"Perhaps." said Princess Luna, "But it isn't something that any of us know."

"The library here at the castle is nearly as extensive as the one in Canterlot." said Cadance, as she handed her husband the baby. "There's a good chance we can find something there!"

"Can you guys hold off the storm?" Mako asked the three alicorns.

Luna nodded her head, but still looked on with concern. "Yes, for a time, but even our magic will eventually succumb to the power of the Frozen North."

Leilani spread open her wings and flew upwards, "We will do what we can, but you must hurry. Come, my daughters." the queen flew out of the palace with the princesses close behind, ready to fight off the storm as hard as they possibly could. Leilani took the first blast, releasing a powerful beam from her horn. Celestia's horn glowed brightly yellow, releasing a powerful flame at the storm, causing many of the clouds to disperse. She and Luna worked together, alongside their mother to fight this faceless menace. But, as powerful as alicorns were, even they were not fully invincible.

Twilight watched the scene unfold, peeking through the curtain before turning back to her friends, primarily her boyfriend, Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Fluttershy. "I don't know how long it will take to find the right spell, but you should probably tell the crowd outside to get somewhere warm!"

"And try not to mention the Crystal Heart." Cadance said, "We don't want to start a panic."

Applejack gave the princess a salute, "Yes, ma'am. C'mon!" she said, leading the others to face the awaiting crowd.

Korra turned to the remaining members, "We're gonna need all of your help. The crystal library is enormous!"

"You can count on me." Mako said.

"Me too." Asami said with a nod.

"And me." said Shinning Armor while carrying his baby. She started to giggle and disappeared in a flash of golden light, reappearing right on Pinkie Pie's face, causing her to shriek and yank the baby off of her.

Shinning Armor quickly rushed in to catch his child before she fell, but she only teleported away. "Where'd she go?!" the father frantically looked around for any sign of the baby, as did his wife.

They heard the sound of distant giggling and Cadance picked up on the sound by twisting her ear a bit. "This way!" she called out, running into the palace with the others right behind her.

(~)

After leaving Blazing Saddle's house, Sunburst, Starlight and Spike stopped to but some snacks. Sunburst was currently purchasing them from a nearby stand while Starlight and Spike stood beside a crystal fountain. The unicorn sighed sadly.

"Well, Spike, looks like my biggest fears came true."

"Aw, it's not your fault. I'm the one who said we needed was this list." the little dragon said in disappointment before blowing fire at the scroll, bursting it into flames.

"It's not the list, Spike. Or you. Or Sunburst. _I'm_ the one his dad doesn't want being friends with his son." Starlight looked down in depression. "Not that I blame him."

Spike's ears lowered in sadness. Starlight really did try to be a good friend to Sunburst, and she was, and yet she was still being hard on himself. She was still hung up on her past that she couldn't see what was right in front of her. The little dragon refused to let her think this way any longer. Starlight wasn't the same mad for revenge pony she was, and even then it was all fueled by insecurity, fear and pride. She was starting anew, everyone was giving her a chance, but she had yet to give herself a chance.

"Well, Sunburst obviously thinks you're worth being friends with." Spike said, smiling compassionately as he placed a claw on Starlight's leg. "And not just him, Twilight, Korra, Team Avatar, the Airbenders, Tenzin, the kids, and don't forget about P'Li."

A soft smile formed on Starlight's face. "How can I? She understands me almost as well as Sunburst does."

"Ya see? You've already got plenty of friends who know you've changed, and they accept you. And I do too!" Spike surprised the unicorn with a hug. "Everyone else is giving you a chance, but you also got to give yourself one too."

Starlight felt her heart swell up. Spike was right, so many folks had open up their arms to her, showing her that even though she had made mistakes they still gave her a second chance. Maybe she had yet to fully work over her own doubts and insecurities, but maybe instead of wallowing in the past, she should have done something she should have done many years ago…

Trust your friends.

Starlight hugged Spike in return, feeling a lot better about herself and her future. "Thanks, Spike. It really does feel good to have friends, even if one of them has dragon breath." she said with a playful wink

Spike exhaled against his claw, seeing his own breath. "Uh, that's not dragon breath. It's freezing!"

It was then that the two took notice of the disturbing shift in weather. Once, it was bright and sunny, and now snow was falling all around them. Sunburst returned with the snacks being levitated with his magic, shivering due to the cold.

"Oh, you're right!" Starlight said, looking at how the falling snow was beginning to accelerate.

"Where did all this snow come from?" Sunburst asked, "I thought the Crystal Heart was supposed to keep the cold weather out."

"It is…" Spike said, pondering, "unless something's happened! Come on!"

(~)

Back at the palace, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack and Flash Sentry stood before the large crowd already awaiting to see the Crystalling. The weather continued to get colder and colder, but the crystal ponies barely felt it. Their coats were pretty much used to the cold, and the snowflakes didn't surprise them. Every now and again when the weather outside of the empire would get too much some snowflakes would fall, but so long as the Crystal Heart was activated there really was nothing to worry about. But these ponies didn't know about the Heart, and the group's orders were not to inform them about it. Which proved to be their toughest challenged when it came to getting the ponies out of the area.

"We're just saying that it might not be the best idea to stay outside!" Rainbow said, trying for what felt like the twentieth time she tried to get them to leave.

"I camped out all night for this spot! I'm not about to just give it up!" one very, very stubborn female crystal pony said, sitting on her beach chair, crossing her front hooves, refusing to leave.

Fluttershy spoke next, attempting her own approach. "Still, when you think about it, the view is just as good a little further back, like... inside your house?" she said with a hopeful smile, but her attempt were in vain for the ponies only continued to complain.

A male crystal pony, wearing a hat and jacket with a variety of pins on them, said, "The Crystalling ceremony is one of our most sacred traditions! And when that foal is held before the Crystal Heart, _I_ plan to be as close to the action as possible!"

"Honestly, I don't know if there's gonna _be_ a Crystallin'." Applejack said.

Flash Sentry stepped forward, hoping they would listen to a royal guard. "The truth is, the baby's an Alicorn and her magic's a little bit…unpredictable, so you might not want to be that close after all."

"A baby Alicorn?" the stubborn female crystal pony said in awe. "Wow, I can't wait to see that!"

"Oh, those little wings are probably so cute!" said the Pin Pony, already gushing over the baby.

"I know, right?"

Rainbow Dash face hoofed herself and groaned in annoyance, "Look, I am a hundred percent sure the Crystalling _isn't_ happening."

The group looked up once they heard the sound of explosions coming from the castle. Beams of yellow light came shooting out from various spots inside the castle, illuminating the darkened sky. The crystal ponies marveled at the sight. "No Crystalling, huh? Then why are they starting the fireworks show?" asked a mustached male crystal pony, prompting the others to start cheering.

Rainbow face hoofed herself again and landed onto the ground, flat on her stomach while covering her face. Fluttershy compassionately comforted her friend.

Flash and Applejack shared the same worried looks, while saying in unison: "We're dead."

(~)

Inside the Crystal Library, Cadance, Twilight, Korra and Mako continuously searched for a spell that could help them. Cadance and Korra hovered over the upper shelves, reading various book covers, but none seemed to be of any use. Mako searched the lower shelves while Twilight speed read as fast as she could to find the right spell. All the while Shinning Armor tried desperately to catch his little daughter, who giggled as she flew all around the library.

"Young filly, come back here!" the tired father said as he chased after the child.

Pinkie Pie also chased after the baby filly by hopping after her, trying to appeal to her playful nature. "Come to your Auntie Pinkie Pie!"

Twilight closed one book and placed it on the "rejected" stack before opening up another. She continued this processes for what felt like forever. " _Bridle Buck's Boat Chants_ , _Hayhoof's Intonements_ , _Mystic Maps and Mazes_ …" the princess groaned in frustration, "Anything up there?"

"Not yet!" Korra said as she hovered over the highest shelf, levitating around twenty books at once, and carrying a few in her hands.

Mako poked his head from one the lower shelves by brushing a few books aside, "Still looking! Any luck, Cadance?"

"No. I'm not even sure how these are organized!" Cadance said as she frantically searched the shelves. Her daughter appeared on one of the shelves and Cadance attempted to slowly grab her, but the child let out another sneeze, releasing a powerful light beam to which Cadance quickly flew downward to avoid. The baby teleported from the shelves and down beside her aunt Twilight. Shinning Armor chased after her.

"Shining Armor, I thought _you_ were taking care of the baby!" Cadance said.

" _I'm trying!"_ her husband called out as she turned a corner to try and catch his little girl. Every time he thought he finally had her, she just teleported herself right out of the way and reappeared in the opposite direction. Trying to catch her was like trying to grab a moth in a snowstorm, which might as well be the case.

The baby giggled, having the most wonderfully fun time flying around the library. Her laughter died down when she spotted Rarity blocking her path, levitating a butterfly net beside her.

"Gotcha!" she called out, ready to use the net…except the baby just teleported away and reappeared behind the unicorn, completely avoiding the net. "Or not…"

The baby giggled once more, flying all around the library, only to have Asami jump down from one of the high shelves and grabbed hold of the baby with her own butterfly net. However, because the baby was stronger than she appeared, she continued to fly around the library, while inside the net, and dragging the heiress with her. Asami screamed as she held on tightly to the stick of the net while Rarity and Pinkie Pie chased after her to help.

Starlight, Spike and Sunburst entered the library, surprised to see all of the commotion that was happening. The princesses and Mako were searching for various books while the others were trying to keep the rambunctious little rugrat steady. The baby eventually broke free of the net, finally releasing Asami beside the stairs, where Pinkie Pie came galloping down chasing after the child, only to slide and crash into a pile of books.

When the baby shot another energy beam, Sunburst immediately shielded his two friends, the three of them ducking down from the blast.

"What is going on?!" Starlight asked, still feeling very confused as to what was happening.

"You want the long or the short version?" Pinkie Pie asked was being dragged across the floor by the baby who held onto her back leg.

"Short?"

Pinkie Pie then started explaining, rather quickly while still being dragged across the floor. "The baby's an Alicorn and she accidentally destroyed the Crystal Heart, so Twilight, Korra, Mako and Cadance are looking for a spell to put it back together and save the Crystal Empire from turning into a giant wasteland of ice and snow."

Starlight and Sunburst blinked in surprise. "Oh." they said simultaneously.

Mako was beginning to loose hope, there wasn't a single book around here that could be of any help. Until his eye caught sight of one very old looking book with golden trim and old velvet material, adorned with a decorative symbol of a shield with a horse shoe with several flags and stars behind it. It also contained a lock that required a key. Thankfully for him, the lock was open.

"What about this?" he asked, showcasing the book to the three princesses, " _Trotter's Tome of Reliquary_?"

Twilight levitated the book and placed it on the table. She opened the book and skimmed through the pages. She smiled once she landed on a particular page. "I think this is it!" she said, showcasing the page to Korra, who took the book in her hands, reading the words out loud. The Avatar smiled.

" _Spell of Relic Reconstitution_ "! Yes!" Korra wrapped her arms around Mako's neck, kissing his cheek, causing him to blush. "Babe, you're a genius!"

Cadance sighed in relief, "Thank you, Mako. I can't believe we found it!"

"It's a good thing, too!" Twilight said, equally relieved. "Without this, I don't know what we'd do!" she said with a smile…only to she shocked when her nice appeared before her, causing the stack of books to fall before flying away.

"That's it!" Asami said, finally fed up with all of this. She jumped onto the table after the baby, leaping forward like a ninja and tackled the table to the ground. The two rolled on the floor as Asami held the child tightly in her arms. Once they stopped, Asami sat upright, holding the baby in her arms, the little mischievous pony was still giggling, treating everything like a game.

Asami sighed in relief, "Okay, you're caused enough trouble for one day, little cutie."

"Nice catch, Asami!" Pinkie complemented.

"Thanks." the heiress said with a satisfactory smile, only to be replaced with a look of pure terror when the baby released yet another powerful sneeze, a beam of yellow came shooting out of her horn, the impact causing Asami and the child to be pushed back.

Rarity countered the blast by levitating a mirror, causing the beam to direct at Shinning Armor, who quickly created a shield to deflect it, which in turn caused Sunburst and Starlight to deflect it with a force field when it was coming at them. Mako instinctively pulled Korra and Cadance out of the way just as the beam came shooting at them. Twilight ducked under the desk, briefly forgetting she was still levitating the book Mako had found….leaving a gigantic hole right through it!

"Ooooh…crud." Asami said in dismay, while still holding the baby.

Twilight's ears lowered, her irises shrinking and her wings rising, "That spell was the only thing we found in the whole library that was even _close_ to what we needed!"

"I'm so sorry, Twilight!" Starlight said, feeling awful for having partly caused the beam to hit the book.

"It's not your fault, Starlight. None of us were expecting any of this."

"Seriously? _Nobody_ was expecting the birth of an alicorn here?!" Mako exclaimed, earning himself a few dirty looks from the others. "Sorry."

"Do you think you and Korra can remember the spell?" Cadance asked her sister-in-law.

"We only read it through once!" Twilight exclaimed.

"Well, if anypony can exactly remember something she read for the first time two minutes ago, it's you, Twilight." Rarity said with confidence.

"And Korra, you're a master at memorizing spells." Mako said.

Korra and Twilight exchanged concerned looks, but they did make a good point. Twilight was good at remembering words on a page, and Korra could pick up a new spell in a snap.

"We can try." Twilight said, "But I'm not sure how long it'll take."

A cold wind came in through one of the holed of the castle, created by the baby's magical blasts, followed by several traces of snow. From the hole they could see the dark clouds zooming in quicker and quicker as the wind blowed ferociously like a hungry beast.

"Is quickly an option?" asked a nervous Pinkie Pie.

"I'll help if I can, but we should evacuate the city just in case!" Cadance said while Asami handed her the baby and she placed her on her back. She turned to her husband, "You need to lead everypony to the train station before the tracks freeze over!"

Shining Armor nodded, "We will. But between you, Twilight and Korra, I'm sure you'll remember the spell." he said. The married couple touched horns in farewell.

Mako turned to his girlfriend. The two shared a loving embrace. "I know you can do this." he said as he held her close. He kissed her forehead before bursting the library doors open and running out to warn the public with Shinning Armor, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Asami close behind.

Twilight levitated a quill and a scroll and began writing down what she could manage to remember from the book before it got friend. "I only hope this spell is the one we need." she said.

"That makes two of us." Korra said, sitting beside her to try and remember what she read as well.

"Is there anything we can do?" Sunburst asked the Avatar.

"I don't think so." it was then, Korra remembered one little detail, "Wait, Sunburst you studied at Celestia's school of magic, right? Surely you must know a spell or something that can help us!"

Sunburst lowered his head in regret. "I'm sorry, Korra. I don't."

Starlight pondered for a moment, then gasped in realization, "But I think I know somepony who might!"

"Who?"

"Your father!"

Sunburst's eyes widened. As much as he didn't want to face his father again, she was right. "You're right!"

"Who is your father?" Cadance asked.

"Blazing Saddles! You must know him, he's a professor."

Cadance looked at the male unicorn curiously, "I'm afraid I don't know the name. But, if he's as knowledgeable as you say he is you should bring him here."

Starlight and Sunburst nodded and both galloped away to retrieve Blazing Saddles, in hopes he would have the solution to their problem. Once they left, the sky roared and thunder boomed down. From the glass window they could see the alicorns, still fighting against the storm before completely disappearing from their view, the mother and daughters becoming engulfed by the clouds.

(~)


	5. Chapter 5

**The Crystalling part 5**

Starlight and Sunburst came bursting in through the door, nearly escaping the powerful snowstorm that was increasing with each passing hour. The two strained as they worked together to push the doors closed, panting in exhaustion once they did. Traces of snow managed to make its way inside.

Sunburst quickly turned to his father, who was busy organizing several books from his collection. "Dad! Haven't you looked outside?!"

Blazing Saddles looked out from his window, only just now noticing the incredibly large dark clouds and snow falling hard from the sky. Seeing a bit of snow here and there around the Empire wasn't anything new, but this powerful and this sudden was definitely odd.

"Snow? That's... not right. The Crystal Heart—"

"Is gone!" Starlight stated, finally gaining the courage to speak to the older unicorn, even if it was just to warn him about what was going on. "The baby – Shining Armor and Cadance's baby – it's an Alicorn!"

Blazing Saddle's eyes widened and hose mouth opened wide, causing his spectacles to slide down before adjusting them back into position. "Really?!"

"Really!" Sunburst replied, expressing equal amount of fear as his female counterpart. "And her magic is a little berserk, and well, I guess she destroyed the Heart! But Twilight and Korra think they can fix it and Princess Cadance thought _you_ could help!"

Blazing Saddles's froze in place, his shrunken irises darting back and forth. "Me?"

"Of course! You've studied magic all your life, you know magic better than anypony else I know and it's your profession! It just makes sense!"

Blazing Saddles, walked a few steps back, knocking over a few books and scrolls from his shelves. His eyes darted from one end of the room to the other, adjusting his glasses. "Right… right... right right right." he said, his gaze turning away from the two. His son and his companion awaited for him to come up with a solution, but the older unicorn only proceeded to levitate the fallen books back onto the shelves.

"You know, I'd like to help, I-I really would. I-I just have so much, um, important work to do around here."

"Huh?!" Sunburst and Starlight looked at Blazing Saddles in confusion and then back at each other.

(~)

"You can't stay here!" Applejack said to the impatient crowd, speaking in a more authoritative tone than she did before. The wind continued to howl and the snow increased, but the ponies remained in their spots.

"Did I mention this was a _Royal_ Crystalling?" said the mustached crystal pony, "When the crystaller holds the young one aloft, all of the Empire will share their joy and light, and the Crystal Heart will beat stronger than it ever has before!"

The pin pony wiped away a single tear, "It really is a moving ceremony!"

"I _really_ don't think it's going to happen." Fluttershy said, her voice becoming stronger as her patience with the ponies was growing thinner and thinner as the weather became colder.

Rainbow Dash was already shivering, hugging her body, "Come on, it's _freezing_ out here!"

"Uh, this is the Crystal Empire. We've seen snow before." said the stubborn female pony.

"Not like this!" Shinning Armor said, getting the crowd's attention as he walked onto the stage, accompanies by Mako and Asami Sato.

"We don't have time to argue! Princess Cadance has decided to evacuate the city!" Asami said to the crowd, her raven locks billowing in the wind.

"But the Crystalling…!" one pony exclaimed.

"I don't know if we'll ever have another Crystalling again!" Shinning Armor said and proceeded to give the crowd the awful news that was kept from them. "The Crystal Heart... is shattered."

The Crystal Ponies all gasped in horror! Their one and only form of protection was now gone. All eyes fell upon Asami, who suddenly felt very uneasy at the hundred of dirty looks they were giving her. The last time something happened to the heart she was the cause of it.

Asami raised up her hands in surrender, "Hey, you can't fault me for this one!" she said.

"Then it's true!" said the stubborn female pony, finally facing the reality of the situation. "It's not safe here!"

Flash Sentry groaned and hoof faced himself, "That's what we've been trying to tell you!"

Mako leaped from the stage and landed before the frightened crowd, taking charge. "Alright, everypony head for the train station. Stay close to your loved ones and leave nopony behind! _Go!_ "

The ponies obeyed and ran towards the train station, with Shinning Armor and the others leading the way. As they ran, they passed by several houses, where a few ponies still remained. Flash and Rainbow flew from house to house, knocking on their windows.

"You need to leave!" Flash called out, "The Empire's about to buried in snow!"

"The Crystal Heart is shattered!" Rainbow Dash called out, "Everypony to the train stations!"

Upon hearing of what became of their beloved Crystal Heart, the ponies hurried out of their homes as quickly as they could, meeting up with the rest of their crystal brothers and sisters in a race against time to leave their beloved home before they all froze over.

(~)

"Sir, we know you're busy, but did you hear what we just said?" Starlight said to Blazing Saddles, who continued to organize the books on his shelves.

"Oh, I heard you, but-but like _I_ said, when you have a career like mine, the work just piles up."

" _Dad!_ " Sunburst called out, already growing impatient. His yell was enough for his father to drop all of his books and turn to face him, while cleaning his glasses with a rag.

"Look, Sunburst, I want to help. I do. But I can't. I wish I could."

"What do you mean?!"

"Fixing an ancient relic? I-I can't even come close to doing something like that!"

"But, you taught me even the most advanced spells." Sunburst said, "You were top of your class in Celestia's school of magic when you were young. You've spent your entire life studying magic. You come from a long line of talented unicorns, you know more about magic than even I do!"

"Your son's right." Starlight said, seeing Blazing Saddle's eyebrow twitch and his ears press down against his head, bitting his lower lip, almost as if he were trying to keep himself from snapping and angrily yelling at her, but Starlight knew there was more at stake here than just how he felt towards her being friends with his son. "Ever since I was a filly I've always admired you vast knowledge, surely you must know something that can help us fix the Crystal Heart."

" _I don't_ " Blazing Saddles exclaimed, his voice raising and his nostrils flaring, causing Starlight to back away in surprise. "I don't have the magic to fix the Heart!"

"But, you're a magic professor!" Sunburst said.

"I lied! I'm not a professor and I'm not a powerful wizard. I never was one!" the room fell into silence upon Blazing Saddle's confession. The unicorn galloped into the next room, away from his son and Starlight.

Sunburst went after his father, with Starlight close behind, "Dad, what are you talking about?"

"I didn't want you to find out this was. As a matter of fact, I _never_ wanted you to find out."

"Why not?"

Blazing Saddles wouldn't even face his son and kept his back turned to him. "You wouldn't understand."

"Why wouldn't I understand? Dad, tell me!"

The older unicorn closed his eyes shut. He had long hoped he wouldn't have to have his own son find out…but, as it would seem, he had no other choice. He turned to face Sunburst, looking at his only son with great shame.

"While it is true, we do come from a long line of talented unicorns, I was never completely honest with you." Blazing Saddles sat on the table as he told his tale. "When I was a foul I had such a gift for magic. I could so so many things, and I know so much. I could say about twenty spells at a time without a single mistake. But, when it came to casting them…I was a failure. I was a failure as a magic student and I never got over it. It was the biggest regret of my life. When your mother and I discovered you had such raw talent for magic I tried so hard to make sure you wouldn't fail like I did. That's why I was so devastated when you dropped out of magic school. I'm not upset that you choose to be a cop, I am upset that you had to take it because you inherited my lackluster talent after I tried so long to make sure it wouldn't happen to you! So you wouldn't face the humiliation and regret I did." the unicorn hung his head in shame. "I'm sorry I'm not the powerful wizard you always thought I was."

Starlight looked at the stallion with sympathy. He was trying to make up for his own shortcoming as a father and magic user by making sure his own son would succeed where he had failed.…kind of like when Starlight mimicked Amon's methods so she could make up for her lack of friends by forcing everypony to be the same. Blazing Saddles was trying to make Sunburst into himself so he would no longer feel regret…just like Starlight did to the ponies in the village. Both of them tried to justify their actions, but really it was never about anypony else…it was always about themselves.

Sunburst sat with his father on the table, showing no resentment once discovering the truth. "Dad, I don't care if you're a wizard or not. I'm just surprised."

Starlight also sat at the table, trying to help comfort the father. "And you didn't fail in teaching Sunburst." she said, placing a hoof over his, to which he immediately pulled away.

"You wouldn't expect _you_ to understand." Blazing Saddles said bitterly.

"Why wouldn't I understand that?"

"Please, you're a protege to the Princesses of Friendship."

"Well, I'm really more a student, actually. Besides, even if you didn't do well at magic school that doesn't mean you don't know about magic. You've taught Sunburst so much, even I remember all the spells you taught him."

"Well, reading about magic is one thing, but you don't know what it was like for me! To know so much and not be able to do any of it and worse, to watch your own son walk down the same path, carrying on a legacy of failure!" the unicorn flared his nostrils in anger.

That was the final straw. Starlight had held her tongue long enough in front of this stubborn as a mule stallion. She stomped her hooves onto the table, surprising both father and son, finally snapping. "Well, _you_ don't know what it was like to be left behind! To be forced to say goodbye to the first pony you ever really loved! And then getting so bitter that you steal the cutie marks from an entire village and then get defeated by Twilight and her friends, so you travel through time to get back at them, but they beat you again and teach you about friendship, _but you're so terrified ponies will find out what you did that you can't make any friends!_ "

The unicorn sat back on her seat, sobbing as tears fell from her eyes. The room fell into silence as she wiped her eyes, leaving Blazing Saddles jaw dropped. His spectacles slid down only for him to adjust them.

"Did you really travel through time?" Blazing Saddles asked, sounding incredibly surprised and…impressed even. But he wasn't the only one who was shocked.

"Did you say you loved me?"

Starlight's face turned red, her heart racing. In her outburst, she confessed her feelings towards her best friend. She looked over at Sunburst and…he smiled. His cheeks were also red, his blue eyes shimmering with hope. Could it be that he…felt the same way about her?

Starlight got off form her seat and walked into the other room, not facing him. Sunburst followed, patiently waiting for her answer. The unicorn finally faced him, ready to be face the truth. There was no going back now.

"Yes." she finally confessed, "That's why it was so hard for me when you left. I've always loved you, Sunburst. Actually, I think I love you more now than I did then. I was so ashamed of telling you the truth about my past but you still accepted me. Not my mistakes, but the _new_ me. I always used to think were the same but really, we're not. You were always more confident and strong-willed than I ever was…and I'm happy for that. I'm glad we're different and I wish I had known that years ago. I let my own insecurities and pride lead me. I can't expect you to feel the same way if you don't, but _If_ you do…I hope I'm enough."

Sunburst's eyes filled with tears as he lifted up Starlight's chin, wiping away several of her tears in the process. "You've _always_ been enough, Starlight. And you don't have to worry about me not feeling the same way…because I do."

Starlight's eyes sparkled and she smiled. "Really?"

"Why do you think I tried so hard to find you after I came back?"

"I'm so sorry. About everything."

"I forgive you. Can you forgive me for not being there for you when I should have?"

"Of course I do, always. I love you."

"I love you, too."

The two unicorns held one another in a loving embrace, the love within their hearted radiated with such intensity it even brought warmth to Blazing's cold home…and his heart. The father wiped away his tears, realizing he was wrong to try and mold his son to be like him. In fact, maybe it was good that Sunburst didn't finish magic school, because if he had returned he never would have become an officer, and if he hadn't he wouldn't have found his best friend again. He should have thought more about Sunburst's well being instead of his own. Maybe he and Starlight had more in common than he thought.

One the two ended their hug, Blazing hung his head in regret. "I'm sorry, Starlight. I was wrong to try and keep you two apart. I too let my pride guide me. Knowing much is not enough to be wise, and I'm far from being wise. Can you ever forgive me?"

Starlight smiled and hugged the stallion. "Of course I can."

"Me too, dad." Sunburst said as they all shared in a warm group hug. For a moment, Starlight had completely forgotten about the coldness of the storm.

The unicorn snapped her eyes open, remembering why they came here. She gasped. "I forgot! They're evacuating the city!" she then began pushing father and son out the door, "You need to get to the train station, unless you've got a spell here that will drive back the Frozen North and fix the Crystal Heart so the baby can have her Crystalling?"

"Crystalling…! Of course!" Blazing Saddles galloped back towards his shelves of books, levitating several of them, all while wearing a big old smile on his face while Starlight and Sunburst looked at him curiously.

(~)

The three alicorns fought off against the storm as hard as they could, their horns emitting smoke from all of the blasts they had fired at the dark clouds, but even with Celestia's firebending the blizzard only grew stronger and stronger. Their bodies grew tired, heavy and colds due to the frost that had started to form on their bodies because of the cold, but they pushed on. The safety of the empire was more important, they couldn't give up.

"Push them back, my daughters!" Leilani exclaimed, grunting as she unleashed every bit of her magic onto the clouds as did her daughters.

"The storm is getting too powerful!" Luna called out while continuously releasing more beams of magic from her horn. A bold of lightning came shooting from the clouds, striking Celestia at her wing. The older princess cried out in pain and plummeted to the ground, loosing consciousness.

" _Celestia!_ " Luna and Leilani screamed as they raced to rescue her. They held her up as the sun princess groaned, her vision clouded. More thunder was heard from above and Luna and her mother looked at each other in distress. There was nothing more they could do now.

From down bellow, the entire population of Crystal Ponies galloped as quickly as they could, the snow increasing and the temperature dropping at an alarming rate.

"This way!" Shinning Armor called out to his citizens, while the others helped in making sure they all stayed together. One Crystal pony slid on the ice, falling onto a pile of snow. Fluttershy quickly rushed to her aid and helped her to stand back up before the quick quickly galloped away.

Rainbow Dash and Mako worked together, using their firebending to blast at the storm clouds roaming in closer to the city. Flash Sentry also worked alongside Rainbow Dash in using their pegasus weather manipulation to clear the sky of the clouds, but just like the alicorns, frost began to cover their wings, preventing her from flying faster, or even flying at all. They quickly landed onto the ground beside Mako before running ahead to catch up to the others.

"Just a little bit further!" Asami called out to the ponies, "The station's just up ahead!"

As they ran they spotted four figures approaching them, but the cold wind and harsh snow made it difficult for them to distinguish who they were. As they approached closer, the figures were revealed to be Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst and Blazing Saddles. Everyone stopped once they approached them, and the alicorns landed beside them.

"We have to go back!" Starlight called out.

"I know how to stop this!" Blazing Saddles said. Celestia, now having regained consciousness though still shaken from the blast, knew she had seen this unicorn before. She smiled.

(~)

Cadance and Spike paced back and forth while Korra and Twilight tried finishing the spell. Between the two of them, they were able to remember the words they had read from the pages. Twilight wrote them down in the scroll. Once she was done she shared it with Korra. The Avatar read the words over before showing it to Cadance.

"Uh, I think that's everything?" Korra said as the older alicorn read the words.

"It looks right to me, but... there's only one way to find out!" Cadance assumed her position, allowing the two princesses of friendship to activate the spell, reading the words from the scroll.

Twilight aimed a magical beam at the broken crystal shards, causing them to rise upwards. Korra then unleashed her own beam from her hands, the star on her forehead glowing as she did. Finally, Cadance aimed her magical beam to the Heart. Between the three of them they managed to place the broken shards into place, creating the form of the Heart just as it was before. Once they had done it, the three smiled with joy. The Heart was back together again! However, it still had crack lines all around it and broke apart once again in a matter of seconds after being put back together.

Korra got down on her knees in defeat and Twilight looked down in dismay. "The spell failed. I don't know what else to do."

"An old student of mine believes he does." said Princess Celestia as she and everyone else walked in through the curtain. Blazing Saddles approached the shattered remains. He carried a saddle bag filled with the books he needed.

"The baby did this?!" the stallion asked in surprise. He knew alicorns were powerful, but this came from a newborn? It was incredible.

Twilight levitated the scroll with the spell written on it and showed it to Blazing Saddles. "We tried putting it back together with—"

"The spell of Relic Reconstitution, but that won't do much." the stallion said as he levitated a book from his bag and skimmed through the pages. "The Crystal Heart's been around for millennia, and since this was caused by unstable alicorn magic, restoring a relic like this is way beyond just _one_ spell. You need to combine it with something else. Something unique to the relic itself. Something that strengthens it and provides it with power…"

Korra's eyes sparkled as she connected the dots, "Something involving the baby…"

Twilight gasped in realization. "The Crystalling!"

Blazing Saddles nodded his head, "Combining that spell with the light and love of everypony gathered for the ceremony, together with…" Blazing Saddles gave both Starlight and Sunburst one of his books, "Somnambula's Weather Abjuration to clear away the snow…" he then turned to Cadance and Shinning Armor, giving them a scroll, "and a little Fledgling's Forbearance for the parents…" he tickled the baby's chin, making her giggle, "That should curb the little one's power fluctuations."

Cadance smiled in gratitude as her child happily tapped the unicorn's nose. "You must be Sunburst's father. Starlight said you were a powerful wizard."

"Oh, I'm no wizard." the confessed, earning multiple gasped from the others.

"But he studied magic his whole life!" Starlight Glimmer said, "You should see his house! And since nopony has any better ideas, what do we have to lose?!"

"I say we listen to him!" Asami said, while hugging her frost covered body, shaking. "Mostly because the weather's not getting any warmer and I can't feel my toes."

Shining Armor looked at his wife, who smiled in agreement. If this Crystalling really was their only hope, then so be it. However, since the alicorns will be working together casting the relic reconstitution spell to help keep the Heart in place, there just remained one important element remaining to properly perform the ceremony.

"We had planned on Princess Korra to be our crystaller, but since it seems like she and Twilight be busy…" Shinning smiled as he levitated his daughter, placing her in Blazing Saddle's hooves, much to his surprise.

He couldn't believe it, the prince was asking _him_ to be the child's crystaller. He looked over to his son, who smiled proudly. "I'd be honored!"

"Well, what are we waiting for?!" Twilight said eagerly.

"Let's get this Crystalling started!" Korra said, equally eager.

The rest of the group hurried out to begin the ceremony, leaving the five alicorns, Starlight and Sunburst to work on the Crystal Heart. Just like before, Twilight levitated the shards and Korra helped place them together, casting the spell once more. The two strained as they tried to keep the Heart in place. Leilani and her daughters aimed their own magic at the heart, also keeping it steady. Starlight and Sunburst read the Weather Abjuration spell from the book Blazing had given them and together they unleashed their own beam, casting the spell it onto the Heart. Sunburst and Starlight held hooves the entire time as they casted the spell.

Meanwhile, Blazing Saddles walked up on stage and stood before the crowd with the royal family and the others beside him. He carried the child in his hooves as the parents both kissed her keeps. Their horns glowed, casting the Fledgling's Forbearance on their child. She giggled as her body began to glow a radiant yellow as she slowly rose up into the air.

Rarity gave Blazing Saddles the case of purity crystals, from which he choose the one he saw was best. The winds continued to howl, but nopony else paid mind to it, for it was the ceremony itself that had their undivided attention.

Blazing held the purity crystal with his magic and addressed to the crowd, "Citizens! May I present the newest member of the Crystal Empire!"

The baby spread open her wings as her body and horn glowed brightly like a radiant star, giggle adorably. She was absolutely stunning, even the harsh winter winds succumbed to her light, no longer making the ponies shiver, and even melting away the frost that had formed on their bodies.

Cadance and Shinning Armor had never been prouder. This beautiful creature was their child, crazy magic or not, she was theirs and no doubt she would grow up to become a wonderful princess who would wash over her people for generations.

Several crystal ponies teared up upon seeing the new princess. "She's beautiful!"

"Oh! It's just so moving!"

The Crystal Ponies all kneeled down, their hearts filling with such love and light that radiated from their bodies, illuminating the ground they stood upon. The entire empire was lit up with the light of the Crystal Ponies. Blazing Saddles placed the purity crystal on the ground and the powerful positive energy was absorbed into it. Quickly, he levitated the crystal and rushed back to where the Heart was and injected the crystal into the Heart, causing it to glow brightly. The others stopped unleashing their magic once the Crystal Heart started to glow brightly and spun around rapidly as it once did. The others waited anxiously for the results.

A beam of light emitted from the Crystal, unleashing a sparkling wave that touched the alicorns and unicorns. Korra and Twilight joyfully gasped once they realized their bodies had been crystalized, as were Celestia, Luna, Leilani, Starlight, Sunburst and Blazing Saddles. The wave also touched the others on the stage, changing their coats and hair to crystal form once again, changing their hair styled along with it. Mako now wore a snazzy prince-like outfit while Asami wore a light violet dress that reached her knees, wearing a golden broach on her gorgeously styled hair, brushed over her shoulder in a low ponytail. Even the baby now sparkled, now wearing a lovely headband over her head.

The crystal ponies sparkled like the crystals of their homes. The sparkling wave spread all across the empire, causing the snow to disappear, restoring their beautiful empire as it once was. The ponies cheered happily and a beam of rainbows came shooting out from the tip of the Crystal Palace, increasing the powerful wave which pushed the dark storm clouds away and back to the frozen north from where it came.

The baby landed safely towards her parents, who happily embraced their child. Not only had they finally got their Crystalling ceremony, but the Crystal Heart had been restored, and was now stronger than ever!

Korra and Twilight rushed to their respected boyfriend, hugging them tightly. Korra laughed victoriously, "I think I speak for all of us when I say; Best Crystalling _ever!_ "

Cadance and Shinning Armor handed Twilight their niece, who giggled happily upon seeing her aunt again. Even gave her a soft kiss on the nose, making Twilight tear up a bit. "I love you too, little one."

Sunburst and Starlight hugged happily while Blazing Saddles simply smiled at the two. They really did make a lovely couple. He nearly fell when his brother gave him a strong pat on the back.

"For a pony who isn't great at magic, you did pretty well." Starlight said, smiling proudly at the unicorn.

"I'm proud of you, Dad."

"I'm proud of you too, Son."

Leilani nodded in agreement, "Indeed. I'm glad to see you've found a way to share your unique gift, Blazing Saddles. You may be more of a wizard than you think."

Blazing Saddles bowed before the queen in gratitude, while Sunburst and Starlight gazed into each others eyes and shared a romantic kiss, which only made their new crystal bodies sparkle even brighter.

Starlight had to admit, this trip really didn't go as she had planned…it was even better!

(~)

After the ceremony, the group arrived at the train station, ready to be heading back home. Their crystal forms had disappeared by this point. The train pulled into the station and two unicorn ponies walked out. A male and female, the female unicorn had a gray coat, light blue eyes and a purple mane with white streaks and purple stars on her cutie marks. The stallion, her husband, was blue with darker blue mane and brown eyes with a yellow crescent moon and a single blue star for a cutie mark. They were Night Light and Twilight Velvet, Twilight Sparkle and Shinning Armor's parents.

"You would not believe the _crazy_ weather that delayed our train." Night Light said once he and his wife boarded off of the train, "Came out of nowhere."

Twilight Velvet smiled as she approached her new granddaughter. "But it was all worth it to see this peaceful little angel!" she cooed at the baby being held by her father. "Awww, so sweet! Come to your grandmare!"

"Yeah, peaceful now, anyway." Mako said, earning a playful slap on the chest from his girlfriend. There was no rush in informing the two about what happened just yet.

"I suppose that spell really did the trick!" Flash Sentry said, sighing in relief and whipping a few drops of sweat from his brow.

At long last, the danger had passed…until the baby inhaled once again, ready to sneeze! her nose was twitching and her mouth opened wider than before. They all knew that this was going to be a real doozy!

"Hit the deck!" Mako called out, quickly ducking both Korra and Asami down while the ponies also ducked, bracing themselves for the impact.

"AAAAA…. _CHOOOO!_ "

Everyone blinked in surprise once they realized that nothing happened. There was no beam of light, no buildings being destroyed, nothing. The baby just rubbed her nose and snuggled in her father's embrace.

"We have Blazing Saddles to thank for that." Shinning Armor said.

"I hope he takes his role as crystaller seriously." said Cadance, "Something tells me the baby will need a pony like him to look to for magical advice."

Twilight Velvet levitated the baby towards her, holding her in her hoof. "Cadance, darling, aren't we gonna name the poor little dear, or are we gonna spend our entire visit just calling her "the baby"?"

Both parents smiled at each other and Cadance gave her in-laws their answer. "We were thinking... "Flurry Heart"."

"You know, to remember the occasion." Shinning Armor said.

Rarity laughed, "Oh, goodness, how could anypony forget?"

Twilight smiled and kissed her nice on the cheek. "I think it's lovely." she said. The baby's wing started to flap and hug her aunt's head before flying off to land in Korra's arms.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be the crystaller, Korra." Shinning Armor apologized.

"It's okay." The Avatar assured, as the baby giggled.

"You know, not being the cyrstaller doesn't mean you don't still get to be her godmare."

Korra gasped, "Are you serious?!" The married couple nodded their heads and Flurry Heart nuzzled against her new godmother's face, making the Avatar giggle.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Night Light's horn glowed and levitated a bouquet of flowers for his daughter-in-law. The flowers had multiple colors on each petal, giving them the appearance of a rainbow.

"Why thank you!" the princess said, taking a whiff of the plants, "Irilisises are favorite!"

"Say what now?" Korra asked, never having heard of such a name.

"Oh, they're these rare rainbow colored flowers that bloom every few months during summer." Twilight explained, "I just call them the "Iris" flower for short."

"Iris…" Korra repeated the name, "I like the sound of that."

While everyone else boarded onto the train, Sunburst and Starlight were saying their final farewells to Blazing Saddles. "Well, I think you're the Crystal Empire's big important wizard now, Dad. Whether you like it or not."

"I don't know if I'll have time for any wizarding. I'm a crystaller now. That's a big responsibility."

"Well, I can't think of anypony more qualified." Starlight said proudly.

"Of course he is." Sunburst said with pride, "He _is_ my dad."

"Just, promise me you'll take good care of my son, Starlight." Blazing Saddles said.

Starlight nodded, "Of course."

"And son, don't let this one get away again."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Sunburst replied confidently and the three shared one final hug goodbye before boarding onto the train.

From the window, Korra and Mako happily watched the three and smiled at the way the two unicorns looked at one another. "They really do make a good couple." Mako said, his girlfriend nodding in agreement.

"And I think Starlight is off to a pretty good start at learning about friendship."

"I know she is." Flash Sentry said as he wrapped his hoof around his girlfriend, "She's got the best teachers.'

"I don't know, Flash. I think I have a lot to learn about being a teacher." Twilight said with uncertainty.

"What are you talking about?" Mako asked, "Starlight and Sunburst learned a great lesson."

"They both got over their past and Sunburst rekindled his relationship with his dad!" said Spike, sitting beside the human couple.

"No thanks to me or any of us." Twilight said sadly.

Korra smiled at her friend in reassurance, "Well, I know she needed to be put on the right path, but giving her the space to make her own decisions worked pretty well. Besides, isn't that how Celestia and Leilani taught _us_?"

Twilight giggled, "You know, I never thought about it! But I guess it is!"

"See? You're a better teacher than you thought."

"Takes one to know one."

The two princesses shared a laugh and Sunburst and Starlight boarded onto the train, taking their seats next to each other and waved goodbye to Blazing Saddles. From that day forward, Starlight Glimmer had decided to place the past behind her and instead learn from her past experiences to help guide others towards the right path. Even though she still had a lot to learn and there was no telling what the future would hold, one thing was absolutely certain.

None of them would be facing it alone.

 _ ***(~)***_

 _ **Revelation 3:12~**_

 _"He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name."_

 _*(~)*_


End file.
